DEAKIN WEST, ACT, Australia: Dental and oral health experts have called for the immediate implementation of a coordinated Commonwealth and state/territory dental programme, arguing that dental health has been put in the ‘too hard basket’ during the health reform package agreed by the Council of Australian Governments.

The high level group of experts and senior officials in oral and dental health from across Australia met under the banner of the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association (AHHA), the peak national body representing public hospitals, area health services, community health centres and public aged care providers, to discuss the unacceptable lack of action by all governments on oral and dental health.

The experts recommend:

1. The appointment of a Chief Dental Officer (CDO) at the highest level in the Department of Health and Ageing. The role of the CDO would be to provide policy leadership in oral and dental health, and to ensure linkage with mainstream health programmes.
2. The immediate implementation of a coordinated Commonwealth and state/territory government programme to improve community access to oral and dental care. The group unanimously agreed that universal access to dental care is a goal over the longer term, mirroring the arrangements for medical treatments under Medicare. However, there is an immediate need to increase funding to expand targeted programmes for disadvantaged groups such as Indigenous and aged Australians. In addition, it is necessary to make dental care more affordable and accessible for low income earners.
3. The development of a suite of programmes to support individuals and communities to reduce the future burden of oral and dental disease.
4. A focus on rejuvenating the oral and dental workforce, including provision of standardised education and training programmes for the whole team (dentists, therapist, hygienists, prosthetists, technicians and assistants) to provide for expanded services.
5. Up-skill other health workers to better recognise and understand oral health issues and ensure more appropriate referrals and better linkages with mainstream programmes such as maternal and child health.

The AHHA suggests combining the Medicare chronic disease dental programme with the Commonwealth Dental Health Program, promised by the Government at the last election. “This option can be progressed immediately and would reduce the potential for rorting in the current scheme while also directing services at those Australians most in need. Importantly, these changes would actually save the Federal Government money even in the short term. We urge the Government to adopt this sensible proposal before the next election,” Ms Prue Power, AHHA Executive Director, said.

The AHHA warns that the poor state of our oral and dental health is impacting negatively on mainstream health facilities such as hospitals, with a blow-out in avoidable costs. In the run-up to the Federal Election, AHHA will be leading a coalition of stakeholders campaigning for improved funding and structures for the delivery of oral and dental health programmes. The result must be better access and affordability for all Australians.

“Clearly, we need to make major changes to the way in which we fund and deliver public dental services,” Ms Power continued. “Ultimately, AHHA supports the establishment of a universal dental program, such as the Denticare proposal from the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission. To avoid the problems associated with the Medicare-based programme, such a scheme should focus on providing preventive care and be integrated with other components of our health system.”

(Edited by Claudia Salwiczek, DTI)