Author: Joanna Le, Co-Founder
For too long, oral health has been missing from the conversation about health in Australia.
Importantly, Governments make major commitments to hospitals, Medicare, primary care and other parts of our health system. But despite oral health being fundamental to our overall health and wellbeing, it rarely receives the same political attention.
That’s why an announcement from the Victorian Government over the weekend caught our attention.
Premier Ben Carroll announced that a re-elected Victorian Labor Government would invest $230 million to establish 10 new public dental clinics across Victoria, with seven in metropolitan Melbourne and three in regional Victoria. The clinics would be open to all Victorians and provide free services including annual check-ups, fillings, root canals and extractions.
Once established, the Government says the clinics would support more than 100,000 Victorians each year.
This is a significant commitment, and one we’re really pleased to see.
A healthy mouth helps us eat, speak, learn, work and connect with others. Yet Australia has historically treated oral health differently from almost every other part of our health system.
For most adults, dental care sits outside Medicare, leaving people to pay for care themselves, rely on private health insurance, or navigate an overstretched public dental system.
In recent months we’ve seen far too many people using their superannuation to pay for dental procedures, some of which fail because the underlying causes of their oral ill-health have not been managed first.
Cost remains a major barrier to care, and the consequences aren’t shared equally. People on low incomes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people living in regional and remote communities experience disproportionately poorer oral health outcomes.
The 2023 Senate inquiry into dental services recognised the scale of this challenge and recommended that Australia work towards universal access to essential dental and oral healthcare over time.
Victoria’s announcement puts that issue firmly back on the political agenda. We’re particularly encouraged to see oral health emerging as an election issue.
For decades, reports and inquiries have documented the consequences of Australia’s fragmented approach to oral healthcare. Australia’s previous National Oral Health Plan recognised that oral health is fundamental to overall health, wellbeing and quality of life, while the National Preventive Health Strategy calls for a stronger focus on keeping Australians healthy and reducing health inequity.
Victoria is already doing important work in prevention and public health. A substantial new commitment to accessible dental care adds another piece to that picture.
The proposed clinics include annual check-ups, creating opportunities to identify problems earlier and support people to maintain their oral health, rather than only seeking help when they’re in pain.
Connecting preventive programs with services like these will help ensure people have both access to the care they need and the knowledge and support to maintain their oral health throughout their lives.
At FRED, we’d love to see this momentum continue in Victoria and across Australia.
That means continuing to improve access to care, while building the broader conditions that help people enjoy good oral health throughout their lives.
Oral health is part of health. It deserves a place in our health policies, our investments, and our election commitments.
We’re delighted to see it getting one.