ADA tells Sydney public consultation - Get Dental Access done

The Australian Dental Association Inc. (ADA) outlined its views on dental health policy at the "Better Dental Care" Public Consultation, held in Balmain Town Hall last Saturday 13 April 2013.

The public consultation, hosted by the Minister for Health, the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, had a panel that outlined perspectives on building better dental care, and it commented on recent government policies and proposals. Local Sydney residents attended the event.

The ADA was represented on the panel by its immediate past President, Dr Shane Fryer.

"The ADA is a non-political organisation, whose core aims are to improve the oral and general health of the public and to advance and promote the ethics, art and science of dentistry.

"The dental profession is therefore always happy to participate in any forum that contributes to the public policy discussion about how to improve Australians' dental health.

"For many years, the ADA has advocated for the adoption of our DentalAccess proposal.

"Noting the fiscal constraints impacting all governments, DentalAccess marries the two ends of the healthcare spectrum, without adopting excessive funding models, through:

1. 1. Preventive approaches and oral health promotion, to minimise the chances of oral health disease occurring at one end; and
2. 2. Providing access to dental care for those disadvantaged Australians that have oral health needs to be treated and managed at the other," Dr Fryer said.

DentalAccess aims to provide targeted funding to the 30% of Australians who have difficulty accessing dental care mainly due to disadvantage. DentalAccess will make available the full range of dental services to senior Australians, those from rural areas, the disabled and Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders.

Dr Fryer concluded: "Under DentalAccess future generations will suffer fewer dental problems, and those that fall through the cracks through disadvantage will receive dental care of the same quality as those who are able to get treatment. All parties to the debate should consider adopting DentalAccess.

"We hope that dental health policy continues to receive ongoing national attention and action well beyond this year's election."