National Push for Oral Health Reform Welcomed by Australian Dental Foundation

The Australian Dental Foundation (ADFi) has welcomed South Australian Health Minister Blair Boyer’s push to elevate oral health and dental reform as a national health priority.

Following a recent meeting of Australia’s health ministers in Sydney, ministers agreed to establish a National Oral Health and Dental Reform Senior Officials Group to help progress dental health reform at a national level.

The move follows growing concern about access to dental care and the impact preventable dental conditions can have on individuals and the broader health system.

ADFi Chairman Dr Greg Miller welcomed the increased focus on oral health, noting that dental care should be recognised as an important part of overall health and wellbeing.

“There is a growing understanding that oral health and dentistry services are more than ‘nice-to-have’, and that a properly funded oral health care system can have positive impacts right through the health system.”

According to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare figures cited by ADFi, more than 8,400 South Australians were hospitalised for potentially preventable dental conditions in 2022–23. This represented approximately 10% of Australia’s hospitalisations for dental conditions, despite South Australia accounting for around 6.7% of the national population.

Poor oral health can also have wider impacts, particularly for vulnerable communities and older Australians living in residential aged care.

Dr Miller said establishing the national group was a positive step towards addressing oral health funding and improving access to dental care.

“This is a step forward to have senior officials address the funding issues and now we need to see some action and support from the Federal Government to back this up.”

The Australian Dental Foundation is one of Australia’s largest oral health charities and has provided almost $40 million worth of dental services to more than 140,000 vulnerable and disadvantaged people since its inception in 2015.

Through its community programs and mobile dental services, ADFi continues to work towards improving access to essential oral health care for communities across Australia.