Public Dental Health Services, Our National Disgrace

The Age

Tuesday June 28, 2005

RE TOM Noble's article, "Pensioner steaks claim on new teeth" (The Age, 23/6), about 74-year-old pensioner William Hurkens, who waited more than four years for dentures. It is a timely reminder of the continuing story of inequity of access to dental health services. Best wishes to Mr Hurkens, whose case was unexpectedly prioritised by a senior state bureaucrat after he went "public" with his story.

But this still leaves thousands of elderly pensioners and other low-income people on public dental waiting lists for many years for basic care. Despite some recent welcome, but small, initiatives at the state level, state-based public dental services remain very constrained with demand massively exceeding supply.

Since 1996, when the Howard Government abolished the Commonwealth Dental Health Program, national waiting lists have increased by 30 per cent to more than half a million people waiting up to five years to access what the community regards as basic dental care.

In a total Commonwealth health budget of $36 billion, not one cent goes directly to public dental health services. The only money that goes to dental health is indirect. This is in the form of support that predominantly higher-income people who have private health insurance "extras" cover (such as dental services) receive through the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate.

While campaigning as a federal Labor candidate for Deakin in last year's election, I met many people in Mr Hurken's situation. Virtually all were reluctant to be involved in the sort of publicity that produced a positive outcome for him. I suspect that waiting more than five years for a basic service that can adversely affect general health by interfering with nutritional intake is one that not many Age readers or their families experience.

Public dental health provision is the Cinderella service within the 10 per cent of a rich nation's GDP spent on public and private health services. A dignified and stoical generation of elderly pensioners deserves better. This issue should receive continuing public policy prominence; hopefully your interesting report helped to do this.

Peter Lynch, Hawthorn

© 2005 The Age

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