Why Oral Health Equity Matters in Remote Communities

For many people living in remote Australia, accessing dental care means travelling long distances, arranging transport and taking time away from family, school or work. When services are difficult to reach, preventable dental problems can remain untreated, affecting a person’s comfort, health and quality of life.

Thanks to the generous funding support of the Straumann Group Foundation, the Australian Dental Foundation (ADFi) is working to address these barriers through the Central Smiles project. This partnership enables us to bring dental treatment, prevention and oral health education closer to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote and regional South Australia.

Understanding the need

Oral health inequity is closely connected to access. Distance, cost, workforce shortages and limited culturally safe services can make regular dental care difficult to obtain.

A 2023 editorial in the Australian Journal of Rural Health reported that major cities had 3.5 times as many dental practitioners per person as very remote Australia. It also cited research identifying more than 142,000 Australians without access to dental services within a 60-minute drive.

The Australian Dental Association highlights further challenges, including limited transport, higher costs of delivering care and reduced access to fluoridated water and affordable oral hygiene products. These barriers can leave communities with fewer opportunities for prevention and early treatment.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children experience around twice the rate of tooth decay as non-Indigenous children. Between July 2021 and June 2023, First Nations children aged under five were hospitalised for dental conditions at 1.4 times the rate of non-Indigenous children.

Research from Central Australia also demonstrates the need for oral healthcare among people managing complex medical conditions. A study published in 2021 found that 54.3% of 102 Aboriginal adults with kidney disease had severe periodontal disease. While this finding relates to a specific patient group, it reinforces the importance of including oral health in ongoing healthcare.

Behind these statistics are children and adults living with pain, difficulty eating and dental problems that can affect everyday life. Improving access means creating more opportunities to identify and treat disease before it progresses.

Generosity that enables us to reach further

The Straumann Group Foundation’s support is helping ADFi turn this need into practical action.

Through its funding of Central Smiles, we can deliver mobile dental care directly to communities, reducing the travel burden that can prevent people from receiving treatment. The project brings together examinations, preventive care, restorative treatment, oral health education and referrals where further care is required.

Beginning in the greater Ceduna region, Central Smiles builds on ADFi’s existing outreach experience, including our work with First Nations students at Crossways Lutheran School.

It is a Basic Dental Care initiative in the fullest sense: addressing immediate treatment needs while supporting prevention and helping people build the knowledge and confidence to care for their oral health.

Working together for lasting change

The partnership combines the Straumann Group Foundation’s funding and oversight with ADFi’s clinical teams, mobile infrastructure and community coordination. Planned return visits and collaboration with local services support follow-up care and strengthen connections with existing health services.

For us, making a lasting difference means listening to communities, building trusted relationships and delivering care that is respectful, culturally safe and responsive to local needs. Treatment, prevention and education all have a role in helping people maintain healthier mouths over time.

We sincerely thank the Straumann Group Foundation for its generosity and commitment to improving oral health equity. Its support of the Central Smiles project allows us to reach further, respond to unmet needs and help more people access essential dental care closer to home.

Together, we are working towards a future where living remotely does not stand in the way of a healthier smile.