1 day Ago By Anna Houlahan
When sexual violence survivor *Becky looked in the mirror, she was reminded of the awful things that happened to her as a small child. or signup to continue reading Decay took hold of her teeth for decades after she developed a phobia of the dentist and of strangers touching her mouth as a result of the trauma. Unfortunately, Becky is not alone.
that victims of sexual violence, family violence and abuse face major hurdles in accessing expensive and crucial dental care after an oral injury or dental anxiety caused by sexual trauma. Advocates argue that the federal government has a responsibility to help survivors recover from the "physical, mental, emotional and economic impacts of violence," as outlined in Australia's . Becky agrees, asking "How are you supposed to recover from what's happened to you if you're constantly reminded?" She said childhood abuse caused her to have "a very fractured relationship" with her mouth that took decades to recover from.
She said she developed "a phobia of dentists, a fear of things near my mouth, and especially a fear of having someone standing over me". "Over the years leading up to my teeth getting really bad, my fear of dentists went through the roof. If you put me in a chair, and someone came near my mouth, I would jump," she said.
Dr Avanti Karve, a dentist who offers pro bono care to patients recovering from physical abuse, said she had seen "a lot of crossover" between dental anxiety and violence. She said patients could feel vulnerable, "particularly around latex, loss of control, change in power dynamic and interference in an intimate area". "There's significant proven dental anxiety and dental phobia that comes along with a history of domestic violence, particularly if it's resulted in orofacial trauma," the specialist dentist said.
"We see injuries like dental trauma and loss of teeth, but you can also see fractures or underlying fractures," she said. "If there's been consistent knocks to the teeth, you can also get the nerve of the tooth die away even though the tooth hasn't physically broken. "A lot of people then have difficulties with oral care and maintenance of the mouth, and that lack of access to regular dental care, can often result in missed early diagnosis of dental disease.
" The Australian Dental Association (ADA) operates a volunteer clinic, Rebuilding Smiles, to help survivors of violence access free, essential dental care. The program, which is treating 87 patients and has a current waitlist of 117 people around the country, relies entirely on funding from the ADA, Colgate and Straumann. Women's Community Shelters CEO Annabelle Daniel said "that access to timely and restorative dental treatment for domestic and family violence survivors has a huge impact".
Medicare does not cover dental treatment. But, in the lead-up to the federal election, . Ms Daniel said survivors of sexual and family violence were "an obvious first cohort to go with in rolling out this scheme".
"Because we know it has a huge impact on people's self-esteem when they have dental injuries," she said. "We know it can impact someone's ability to get a job, how they present, and all of those unconscious judgments that employers might have. "Plus, we also know that oral health is incredibly connected to overall physical health, and recovery from domestic and family violence should include dental care as well as general medical care.
"These are the forgotten and overlooked issues that show just how far the tentacles of domestic and family violence can impact somebody's life." In Australia's National Plan to End Gender-Based Violence report, released in October 2022, the government set out four pillars; prevention, early intervention, response and recovery. The recovery and healing component commits to "helping to reduce the risk of re-traumatisation by supporting victim-survivors as they recover from their trauma".
"This includes the physical, mental, emotional and economic impacts of violence." Ms Daniel said, "Access to appropriate dental care is something that would fit very, very neatly under [the recovery and healing] pillar". As far as Becky is concerned, the fourth pillar is "an unfunded commitment".
"I understand that there are budget constraints, but this is a commitment they've made. This is a gap," she said. Support is available for those who may be distressed: Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM).
She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine. Reach out with news or updates to anna.houlahan@austcommunitymedia.
com.au Anna Houlahan reports on crime and social issues affecting regional and remote Australia in her role as national crime reporter at Australian Community Media (ACM). She was ACM’s Trainee of the Year in 2023 and, aside from reporting on crime, has travelled the country as a journalist for Explore Travel Magazine.
Reach out with news or updates to [email protected].
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