Dental treatment one of Life's Essentials

Dental treatment features high on the list of life's essentials identified in a Bulletin published by the Towards New Indicators of Disadvantage project.

This project is a collaboration between researchers at the Social Policy Research Centre (SPRC) and analysts from the Australian Council of Social Service (ACOSS), Mission Australia, the Brotherhood of St Laurence (BSL) and Anglicare, Diocese of Sydney.

The Bulletin notes that the aim of the research is "to develop new indicators that can be used alongside existing instruments (e.g. poverty lines) to better identify the extent and nature of disadvantage in Australia. The findings will help to fill the gaps that currently exist in conceptual thinking and empirical research on poverty and related issues of deprivation and social exclusion. They will also provide new information on the circumstances of those who use welfare services, and a better evidence base to inform policy development".

In a postal survey answered by over 2700 people, 'dental treatment when needed' ranked 7th out of 61 ‘essentials of life’, which covered a broad range of items, activities, opportunities and other characteristics that previous research (in Australia and other countries) has shown to be associated with deprivation and social exclusion and thus contribute to disadvantage.

With a Federal election scheduled for later this year, VOHA will be drawing the attention of the major parties to this research as yet further evidence of the importance of building dental funding measures into their policy platforms.