Federal Budget - reactions to dental measures

The Federal Budget’s $378 million dental health scheme received mixed reaction.

The Australian Dental Association welcomed the measures, especially the recognition by the Federal Government to assume a greater role in dental care delivery to Australians. But the Association said that too many Australians with dental problems have been ignored and are the losers as the measures don't go far enough.

ADA President Dr John Matthews said: “Australia has a maldistribution of dentists in rural and remote sections of the country and the Charles Sturt University proposal (to build a dental school), if successful, will go some considerable way to redress this maldistribution.” However nothing has been done to remedy the shortfall in the numbers of dentists in the public sector.

Carol Nader, of The Age wrote: “In Victoria, more than 140,000 people are on waiting lists for dental treatment. A bipartisan committee of federal MPs last year recommended that Canberra help the states pay for public dental services. While the federal and state governments play the blame game, in parts of Victoria patients wait years for dental treatment. In Moe, the wait is more than five years.

“The Federal Government has committed $378 million to help people see a private dentist — but only if they have a chronic health condition that is affected by their dental problems. The Government will allow patients to get up to $2125 a year in Medicare rebates for dental treatment, up from the current $77.95 for three dental sessions. The extra money is essentially an admission by the Government that the current scheme has failed. But while it says the new scheme will help treat 200,000 people over four years, it still won't help hundreds of thousands of people on dental waiting lists who do not have chronic health conditions.”

The President of the Australian Council of Social Services, Lin Hatfield Dodds, said: “ … while the Government has put some money into dental care and that’s good move, but none of that money is going to make a difference to the 650,000 Australians who are still on dental waiting lists tonight for an average of over two years”.

The Opposition’s health spokeswoman, Nicola Roxon, promised that a Labor Government would reintroduce a Commonwealth dental program. She said that the package was an admission that the dental care of Australian’s was the government’s responsibility but it was insufficient.

Federal Budget 2007 - dental highlights

Key initiatives affecting dental services and the future availability of sufficient dental care providers, especially in rural areas, are outlined in extracts from the Federal Budget Papers below.

"Dental school — Charles Sturt University
The Government will provide $65.1 million over four years for the establishment of a new regional dental school at the Charles Sturt University, including the construction of residential accommodation for students.
The funding will provide for 60 additional dentistry places: 30 in a five-year dentistry course and 30 in a three‑year paradental course. Rural training encourages graduates to pursue careers in rural areas. "

"Dental training — expanding rural placements
The Government will provide $12.5 million over four years to improve rural access to dental services by expanding dental training in regional settings. This measure will provide clinical placements in rural training settings for up to 30 metropolitan dentistry students annually.
In addition, three scholarships per year will be established under the Puggy Hunter Memorial Scholarship Scheme to encourage Indigenous Australians to train in dentistry or in the allied health professions such as oral hygiene."

"Dental treatment — enhanced Medicare items for patients with chronic and complex conditions
The Government will provide $377.6 million over four years to improve access to dental items available on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) from 1 November 2007 for patients with chronic and complex conditions.
The expanded MBS items will provide for an initial dental assessment and subsequent dental treatments. Each patient will receive a $125 benefit for an initial dental assessment (up from $77.95) and benefits for subsequent dental treatments up to the value of $2,000 per year. The new items will be available to patients being treated under a general practitioner management plan and team care arrangements, or under a multidisciplinary care plan in an aged care facility. The items will be available where the person’s oral health is impacting on, or is likely to impact on, their chronic medical condition.
This measure includes $53,000 in capital funding in 2007-08 for Medicare Australia system enhancements."

VOHA Comments

While these measures are welcome, they will regrettably have negligible impact on public dental waiting lists which see hundreds of thousands of Australians waiting up to five years for access to basic dental care.

Dental waiting times in many Victorian areas are increasing again after significant improvements reported in the lead up to the recent State election.

If the Coalition was hoping these budget measures would take the dental crisis off the front page, they are likely to be disappointed.

Federal budget preview - dental care for chronically ill

In a front page story in The Age today (Fifth-term fight ensures federal budget has bite) Michelle Grattan predicts that tomorrow's Federal Budget "will pour about $375 million over four years into fixing the teeth of those with chronic illnesses. This will help 200,000 people and take some pressure off state waiting lists for acute dental care".

This outcome is a tribute to the National Oral Health Alliance campaign in which ACOSS and the ADA led a very broad coalition of organisations from the welfare, community and dental professional sectors to obtain increased resources to address waiting lists of up to five years for access to public dental care.

Ms Grattan's story also notes that:

"The dental money is a response to strong Coalition backbench pressure to do something on dental health and Labor's promise of a dental scheme.
At present, people whose chronic illness includes dental problems can only get three visits a year covered by Medicare. This is often inadequate to give them proper care.
However, the states will still be left with a big dental problem because the change will not cover people who have trouble with their teeth but not a chronic illness."

More detailed analysis and response awaits the formal presentation of the budget tomorrow.

Vic Budget's dental increase quietly welcomed

The State Government's Budget announced on 1 May provides $138 million of dental services - an increase of $8 million.

The Victorian Oral Health Alliance (VOHA) welcomed:

• $1.5 million to fund fluoridation of water in rural Victoria;
• $1.5 million to establish a dental school at Bendigo; and,
• additional funds for dentures for older Victorians living in supported residential facilities.

However VOHA members felt that a lot more could be done to help Victorians, especially 100,000-plus people on the public dental waiting lists.

The alliance now awaits the Federal Budget to see if the Commonwealth Government can further help improve the oral health of disadvantaged Victorians.