NSW Opposition offers a new dental health model

The NSW Opposition has certainly raised the bar in oral health policy debates around the country by issuing its $208m package of additional measures by which to improve oral care in NSW. The parties participating in the Victorian election are being urged to consider a similarly comprehensive package of measures for Victoria, which is experiencing quite similar problems to NSW.

This 'Good Teeth, Good Health' policy makes extensive reference to the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into Dental Services in NSW.

The NSW Liberal/National package will commit:

• $65 million to reduce dental treatment waiting lists and improve public dental health, including funds for comprehensive and preventative treatment;
• $40.18 million to increase remuneration for all dental professionals in the public service. This will align remuneration more closely with the private sector and other health-care providers in the public sector and will help attract and retain dental health professionals into the NSW public health system;
• $28.62 million for more dental and para-dental clinicians attracted and retained over time as working conditions improve for dental health workers;
• $7.95 million for fluoridation and oral-health promotion campaigns;
• $5.6 million to establish a Clinical Institute of Dental Health to be responsible for policy development and disbursement of the public dental budget;
• $57.3 million to provide dental internships to improve training and immediately increase the public dental health workforce; and,
• $3.6 million for Rural And Remote dental education scholarships to support the training and development of dentists dedicated to rural and remote service.

Greens' Health Policy

The Greens' Health Policy, which outlines their health election platform, makes mention of a few key dental health issues which they would address if elected to Government in Victoria, notably

"3.1.9. Increasing the provision of state funded public dental services based on need
3.1.10. Increasing concession card holders’ access to public dental care by abolishing co-payments
3.1.11. Targeting initiatives to increase access to dental services for those groups in the community who are at a higher risk of poor dental health."

Nationals' Health Policy

The Victorian Nationals ' Health Policy Directions Paper, which outlines their health election platform, includes a number of measures designed to improve dental health services, especially for those living in regional and rural areas of the State.

They acknowledge that "current dental waiting time for restorative dental care and dentures is unacceptable" and undertake to:

• "Improve the planning, integration, coordination and management of public dental services in Victoria
• Develop strategies and incentives to attract dentists to practice in country Victoria
• Subsidise private denbtal services to provide services for eligible residents where public dental sevices are not available or where patients have been required to wait more than a minimum predetermined maximum time for treatment."

The Nationals also propose to provide 10 scholarships each year "to young country Victorians to enable them to study medicine or dentistry at an Australian University on condition they spend at least 5 years practicing in country Victoria following graduation. When fully implemented the Victorian Government will be assisting 60 young country Victorians to receive training at medical or dental schools".

VOHA meets Minister Pike

Representatives of the Victorian Oral Health Alliance (VOHA) met Victorian Health Minister Bronwyn Pike today to seek her Government's commitment to implement a range of measures designed to improve public dental health. These measures were outlined in VOHA's Ideal Dental Health Policy Platform.

The Victorian Oral Health Alliance (VOHA) is an informal and non-aligned group of consumer, welfare and professional bodies committed to improving public dental health. The VOHA was formed in 2004 in the lead up to the last Federal Election, and campaigned on the basis of agreed positions on areas of need that should be addressed by the Commonwealth. Its current focus is on the Victorian State Election scheduled for 25 November 2006.

Members of the VOHA include:
Health Issues Centre (Victoria)
Public Health Association of Australia Inc.
Victorian Healthcare Association
Dental Hygienists Association of Australia, Victorian Branch
Australian Dental Therapists Association
Rural Workforce Agency, Victoria
Brotherhood of St Laurence
Victorian Council of Social Services
Victorian Aboriginal Cooperative Community Health Organisation
Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch Inc.

The meeting with the Minister emphasised that whilst the Victorian Government had made significant improvements to dental funding since 2003, much more still needs to be done to reduce waiting times to an acceptable level, especially in rural Victoria. Many other measures, including stronger preventive measures were also advocated, in recognition that most dental disease is preventable. Targetted funding for groups with greater need was also advocated, in particular for residents of aged care facilities and Koori communities.

The Minister was supportive of more being done to improve public dental health, but no specific commitments were given.