New report shows poor state of oral health in Australia

Dental Tribune International

Tue. 15. October 2024

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CANBERRA, Australia: A new report published by the Australian government on 4 October has exposed the appalling state of oral health and dental care across the country, especially for disadvantaged groups and those living remotely. While existing research has highlighted the prohibitive cost of dental care for Australians, this latest update of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare’s report on oral health and dental care casts further light upon issues such as hospitalisation, untreated dental caries and access to and frequency of care.

Perhaps the most disturbing statistic detailed in the report is that a staggering 87,000 hospitalisations for dental conditions occurred in 2022–2023 that were potentially preventable. Moreover, it was children aged between 5 and 9 years old who were most likely to be hospitalised for such potentially preventable dental conditions, the rate standing at 12.3 hospitalisations per 1,000 individuals.

Another concerning aspect of the report was the high rates of untreated caries among various segments of the population. While children aged between 6 and 14 years old were found to have a prevalence of 11%, those aged between 5 and 10 were over twice as afflicted at 27%, and Australians aged 15 years and older exhibited the highest rates of untreated caries at 32%.

The report also consolidated other recent research on the financial aspects of dental care by demonstrating that 30% of Australians delayed or avoided seeing a dentist for necessary attention in the previous 12 months owing to cost. Around 18% reported that cost was the reason for doing so.

While these figures represent the general population, it is highly pertinent to note that First Nations people, Australians of lower socio-economic status and those living in regions outside of the major metropolitan areas and in remote areas experience these challenges more acutely. Speaking to ABC Australia, Australian Dental Association Vice President Dr Chris Sanzaro communicated the gravity of this governmental failure: “It’s a concern that there are sections of the community that are not being well served by dentistry because they can’t afford to access it, and that’s something we’ve been asking the government to work on for a long time.”

While it appears that the state of oral health and dental care in Australia is not yet at the critical state of the National Health Service in the UK, this new report suggests that without timely governmental intervention the situation is likely to steadily deteriorate.

The report, titled Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia, can be downloaded here.