With large numbers of remote NSW patients facing appallingly long waits for public dental treatment and having teeth extracted unnecessarily due to a lack of access to a local dentist, the Australian Dental Association New South Wales (ADA NSW) is calling for a transformation of oral medical services in rural and remote areas.
More treatments available for qualified regional patient populations and greater incentive schemes for dental professionals to work in rural areas are among the proposals ADA NSW president Dr Michael Jonas will make at the Health Outcomes and Access to Health Services in Rural, Regional, and Remote NSW inquiry on Friday, December 3.
Dr Jonas, a rural NSW dentist, said that there are presently over 30,000 regional NSW adult patients alone on the public dental waiting list, with many waiting several months for treatment.
Regional and rural NSW patients are more likely to be hospitalised for dental-related disorders. In contrast, regional patients see the dentist less often, and youngsters in regional regions have higher rates of tooth decay.
All Australians have the right to accessible and inexpensive oral health care, regardless of where they reside, but this is particularly important in remote communities. The ADA NSW response to the Inquiry provides numerous suggestions that must be implemented to promote better oral health care results for rural patients.
The proposal advocated for the inclusion of teledentistry benefits in private health insurance plans to assist individuals in paying for visits with oral health professionals. Other recommendations include targeted placement of students from Indigenous and regional backgrounds into dental and oral health training programs in NSW and increased incentive schemes such as living expense benefit payments and tuition fees for dental and oral health students or when young graduates seek employment in rural areas.
It also advises restructuring the present Oral Health Fee for Service Scheme (OHFFSS), which would enable rural patients to access private dental practitioners under a public/private partnership model.
Dr Jonas affirmed that tooth decay is Australia’s most frequent health concern, and there are about 70,000 potentially avoidable hospitalisations for dental disorders every year.
Poor dental health may also lead to other possibly serious and chronic health issues, such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
These ideas would need a significant commitment and a coordinated strategy, including government and non-government healthcare organisations and educational institutions. As a result, ADA NSW advocates for an increase in Commonwealth Government oral health funding for rural regions and a collaborative relationship with the NSW Government to build a public/private oral health service model to minimise oral inequalities for rural patients.
