2 weeks Ago By Tim Keys
Australia's dental care system is in crisis. or signup to continue reading It's children, particularly those with special needs, who are suffering mostly, in silence and pain; on waiting lists for years or travelling hours for care. Forget the calls from the as part of Medicare, a clear pre-election sweetener.
This would require a complete overhaul of the entire dental workforce and model in Australia. Unrealistic at this point. There is some very low-hanging, cost-effective, fruit ripe for the picking.
In the last year alone, private and public hospitals have reduced, or removed, operating lists for paediatric dentists. This means at least 1500 fewer infants and children receive operations and are left suffering in pain. That, by anyone's standards, is not OK.
Australia is continuingly failing some of our most vulnerable populations: children under 17, and individuals with disabilities. Despite years of promises and piecemeal policy, dental care remains largely inaccessible to those who need it most. This inaccessibility isn't just a coincidence; it's the direct result of a fragmented, underfunded system that relies heavily on private expenditure, leaving public resources stretched and waiting lists unbearably long.
The current structure of dental care funding in Australia is fundamentally flawed. The federal government allocates a tiny, limited budget toward dental care, which is then supplemented by various state-level contributions. But most dental funding comes from the pockets of private citizens.
In practice, this means that access to care is primarily a matter of affordability, not need - a model that fails those who lack the means to pay. Health Minister Mark Butler's response to any cry for dental reform is that the . Maybe the GPs just have better lobbyists and PR machines? Surely his department can handle more than one issue at a time.
Children and adults with special needs are among those most severely impacted. Due to the nature of their cases, they can require treatment under general anaesthesia, which presents unique challenges. For these patients, wait times in the public system are at many months, with some districts reaching three years.
And the consequence? Excruciating pain, missed school, poor nutrition and development, lifelong poor dental health, and avoidable emergency room visits. A visit to a dental practitioner is not just about treating a cavity - it's about preserving quality of life and preventing severe health complications. The (CDBS), a federal scheme intended to provide dental care for children, is a prime example of these gaps.
While it offers some assistance, it fails to cover critical treatments, such as those requiring general anaesthesia. Its limit for high needs patient is also too low. For many families, this means that even when help is theoretically available, it is inaccessible when they need it most.
The fifth review of the CDBS put forward simple recommendations to address these shortcomings. However, none of these suggestions have been implemented to date. A clinical advisory committee has been engaged in discussions, but without action, children across the country continue to suffer.
One of the most disheartening aspects of the federal government's approach to dental care is its response to the Senate inquiry on dental access. In its remarks, the government dismissed concerns about treatment under general anaesthesia, citing risks associated with anaesthesia itself. But this reasoning is inconsistent.
Thousands of medical procedures of all kinds are carried out under general anaesthesia every day, without hesitation. To suggest that the solution for dental patients is merely painkillers, antibiotics or to hold children down for treatment is barbaric and a gross misunderstanding of the complexities of dental care - one that leads to broken children, suffering and repeated hospital visits for preventable conditions. This lack of transparency and accountability is emblematic of a broader problem.
There is currently little reporting of waitlists in the public dental system. This means that while patients suffer in silence, policymakers remain comfortably unaware of the extent of the crisis. Without comprehensive reporting, there is no incentive - and therefore no accountability - to improve the system.
It is time for the federal government to recognise that good dental health should not depend on how much money you have. The mouth is not disconnected from the body; it is a fundamental component of our health. Children and those with special needs should not be left to fend for themselves.
This isn't about unlimited funding or costly promises. It's about prioritising basic dental care for those who rely on public support: children, individuals on the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), and those who cannot afford private dental care. Some very simple changes would make the world of difference to those that need it most and best of all it would not cost much at all.
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