VOHA meets Senior Liberals

A VOHA deputation met today with Mr Ted Baillieu, Leader of the Opposition, and Mrs Helen Shardey, Shadow Minister for Health, for very favourable consideration of VOHA proposals to improve public dental services in Victoria.

Mr Baillieu and Mrs Shardey showed considerable interest in VOHA suggestions, and asked many detailed questions with a view to determining which elements they will include in the Liberal's Dental Health Policy Platform, which is still under development. The meeting allowed an extended discussion of the key issues, and further information has also been sought on a number of matters.

The VOHA representatives emphasised that fluoridation of water supplies provides a basis for oral health, and then detailed a range of measures ranked in the following priority order:
1. Reducing dental waiting times
2. Addressing dental workforce shortages
3. Making special provisions for delivery of dental care to residents of nursing homes and other special needs groups e.g. ATSI
4. Increasing the investment in oral disease prevention activities - recognising that the two most prevalent oral diseases, caries and gum disease, are preventable.