The Australian Dental Association is calling for a , with some facing waits of up to four years for care. or signup to continue reading The seniors' dental benefit schedule would operate similarly to the existing children's schedule, with eligible pension and health card holders entitled to more than $1000 worth of Medicare subsidised dental care every two years. found only 31 per cent of people were going for regular check-ups.
Almost a third of respondents (32 per cent) rated their oral health as 'poor' or 'very poor' and more than half of these people were older than 65. The association's vice president Chris Sanzaro said pensioners were waiting anywhere from six months to four years for dental care from state government services. "What we know is there's a significant portion of the population that just haven't been to a dentist for the last two years or so,' Dr Sanzaro said.
Other patients were having to make choices about treatments they could and couldn't afford, he said. Dr Sanzaro said a federally funded schedule would relieve a significant burden on the public health system. According to the Grattan Institute, there are about 80,000 hospitalisations in Australia each year due to preventable dental conditions.
Dr Sanzaro said the urgent need to address the situation had been highlighted by the Aged Care Royal Commission and Senate inquiry into dental services. The Royal Commission found aged care residents had been admitted to hospital with aspiration pneumonia, a di.
