States and Territories call for Commonwealth dental action

The Council for the Australian Federation held its second meeting in Sydney on 9 February. The Council was established in October 2006 and comprises the Premiers and Chief Ministers of the States and Territories. The Council desccribes itself as "both a strategic body that will help shape and set the national policy agenda, and a forum for joint State and Territory action".

The Communique issued by the Council on 9 February included the following statement on dental health, which calls on the Commonwealth to play a more active role in contributing to funding of public dental services:

"The public dental system plays a critical role in providing general dental and denture care, as well as emergency care, for many children and adults with a health care or pensioner card. State Governments have progressively increased investment in public dental services, which has led to some significant improvements in service provision but a combined Commonwealth-State effort is required.

In 1996 the Commonwealth abolished the Commonwealth Dental Health Program. The scheme supported the State run public dental services, with funding of $100 million in 1995/96. A review by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare found the program enabled 200,000 extra people to access dental care per annum, shortened waiting times and reduced the need for teeth extraction.

The Commonwealth’s inclusion of limited dental care in Medicare rebates for treatment of chronic conditions has failed to make a significant impact on the need for dental care. Equally, the Commonwealth’s private health insurance rebate does not assist access to dental care for the many Australians who do not have and cannot afford private health insurance. While private dentists do have an important role to play in the provision of care to low income Australians, even with relatively generous incentives, they will not be able to service all the need in the community.

Commonwealth support of dental training is also required. A substantial increase in training places and an improved distribution of these places would make a significant difference to access to care and the population’s oral health The recent House of Representatives report, ‘The Blame Game’, asserted that access to public dental services is a joint responsibility of the Commonwealth and State Governments. This report recommends that the Commonwealth supplement State funding for public dental services.

The Council agrees to call on the Commonwealth to:

• reinstate funding for public dental services to increase access to dental care, to be provided in partnership with State and Territory delivery systems;
• extend and simplify the Medicare Enhanced Primary Care system to:
  - more effectively provide a broader range of dental care to people with chronic and debilitating conditions;
  - attract more dentists from private practice to participate, and make the scheme easier for patients, by relaxing current limitations; and
  - fund treatment for people through public dental hospital care."