71-year-old Sydney grandmother McKeag can finally enjoy ice cream again without having to endure severe toothache. Previously, due to financial pressure, she delayed seeing a dentist for two years until she participated in the government pilot program and received free treatment.
McKeag’s story reveals the “toothlessness crisis” of Australia’s aging society.
The latest data shows that nearly 16,000 people aged 65 and above will be hospitalized for preventable dental problems in 2022-23, a surge of 52% from 2016-17.
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) warned that if the government does not take immediate action, the number of related hospitalizations may rise by another 42% in 2027-28.
McKeag said that pensions are not enough, and teeth cannot be a priority option? The turning point came when her family doctor referred her to the “Senior Dental Pilot Program”, where free treatment saved her from the ordeal of the emergency room.
The ADA chairman said that this would allow people to come in earlier for preventive examinations, cleanings and X-rays, and detect dental problems when they are still small, making treatment easier, more economical and more effective.
On the eve of the federal budget, the ADA once again called for the establishment of a “Senior Dental Benefits Program” (SDBS), modeled on the “Children’s Dental Benefits Program”, to provide eligible seniors with a maximum subsidy of $1,132 every two years. The program is estimated to cover 2.8 million people and require a budget of $114 million in 2025-26.
ADA President Sanzaro said that this would allow the elderly to receive preventive examinations early and save huge subsequent medical costs.
However, this plan, which was endorsed by the Royal Aged Care Quality and Safety Committee and the Senate report, has never been adopted since it was proposed in 2021.
Sanzaro bluntly stated that although general practitioners and emergency departments can only prescribe antibiotics and painkillers, they cannot cure the problem, and the government’s deaf ears are frustrating.
Wagga Wagga dentist Wotherspoon visited 20 nursing homes in New South Wales. He said he witnessed shocking oral woes, and almost all cases could be prevented by early treatment. He supports SDBS because the plan can “immediately improve the oral health of nursing homes.”
Health Minister Mark Butler said in a statement that after a decade of cuts and neglect by the Liberal Party, the government’s current focus is on strengthening Medicare and rebuilding general practice. I can’t tell you what changes will happen to dental treatment in the short term, but I do recognize that in the long run, people very much want to include dental treatment in Medicare coverage.
The Green Party advocates that dentistry should be fully included in Medicare to create “universal dental insurance.”
However, the ADA questioned the “unrealistic” cost of the policy of $1.3 billion a year, pointing out that the most vulnerable elderly should be given priority.
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