Why prevention in oral health deserves a seat at the table

20 July

Author: Dr Alexandra Jones, Co-Founder and Board Chair

In health, we often talk about prevention. We talk about early intervention. About systems that keep people well, not just treat them once they’re sick.

But when it comes to oral health, prevention is still struggling to get a seat at the table.

That needs to change. Because oral health isn’t just about teeth - it’s about equity, dignity, and the kind of health system we want to build.

The burden we’re not talking about

Every year, over 80,000 Australians end up in hospital with preventable dental conditions. Tooth decay remains one of the most common chronic diseases in the country - affecting one in three adults and one in four kids aged 5 to 10.

These numbers aren’t abstract, they represent real people. Children in pain, adults missing work, families juggling costs they can’t afford. Oral disease doesn’t just hurt, it isolates, it undermines confidence, and it chips away at overall wellbeing.

And yet, we spend billions treating the symptoms while underinvesting in the solutions that could stop it from happening in the first place.

It’s about more than brushing twice a day

The dominant narrative about oral health tends to focus on individual responsibility. Brush more. Floss better. Eat less sugar.

But if information alone was enough, we wouldn’t be seeing such entrenched and unequal outcomes.

We need to shift the frame from “try harder” to “design smarter”.

Decision-makers should be asking:

Do people have access to clean water and fluoridated toothpaste?

Are services culturally safe and located where people live?
Are health professionals confident discussing oral health in routine care?
Is oral health embedded into early childhood, aged care, housing and chronic disease programs?

In other words: is the system set up to make prevention possible?

The equity challenge

Right now, it’s not.

People on low incomes, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, people living in regional and remote areas, and people with complex health needs face the highest barriers to care, and the worst outcomes.

These aren’t just gaps in service, they’re gaps in justice.

Oral health should be part of how we tackle the social determinants of health. And that means reimagining who is involved in care, and how.

Why we started FRED

FRED was born from the idea that we can do better - and that by working together, we will.

We’re building momentum in advocating for smarter policies, fairer systems, and a broader understanding that oral health is a fundamental part of health and wellbeing.

Because when we treat oral health as a core part of the health equity agenda, not something separate, we make it possible for more Australians to live well.

If you’re a health leader, policymaker, funder or frontline worker who shares this vision, we’d love to hear from you.

Let’s give prevention the seat at the table it deserves.