Good oral health is so important to our overall health and wellbeing, but for too many Tasmanians, affordable and accessible dental care becoming is out of reach.
Tasmania is at a disadvantage when it comes to oral health access. While we are fortunate to have some exceptional dentists practicing in Tasmania, we have fewer dentists than we should – a staggering 25 per cent lower than the national average. Dental clinics tend to be clustered in cities, forcing regional Tasmanians to travel for a check-up.
If you can get to a dentist, you’ll pay for it. Tasmanians have the nation’s lowest average incomes, yet we face some of the highest dental fees for particular services. As the cost of living continues to bite, a trip to the dentist risks dropping off the list of priorities.
The alternative to private dental is to join around 14,000 other Tasmanians waiting up to 800 days for non-emergency public dental care. Oral Health Tasmania offers a vital service and does an excellent job, but these statistics show the public system simply cannot keep up with demand.
And let’s be honest, going to the dentist at times, isn’t a lot of fun. Many people still fear a trip to the chair, unsure of what the dentist’s pick may uncover, and how much it will hurt – both the patient and their hip pocket. The specter of pulling teeth as preventative dental lingers over the profession from a very real history, which gives short shrift to modern dental practices. The irony is, the more we delay oral healthcare, the more likely we are to end up with drastic measures like tooth extraction.
In short, between access, cost and our personal reluctance, it’s all too easy to put off a check-up. But dodging the dentist has real consequences. Recent figures show 13 per cent of preventable admissions at the Launceston General Hospital are oral health-related, adding an avoidable burden on our strained public health system.
Delaying dental treatment to the point tooth extraction is the only option also has personal physical and mental health impacts – affecting your ability to eat, drink and smile – and potentially requiring dental implants, bridges or dentures.
We shouldn’t have to grin and bear it. There needs to be another way.
St Lukes is a Tasmanian not-for-profit health insurer, which means we can pinpoint and act on the issues that are most affecting our community. We believe all Tasmanians have a fundamental right to good oral health. As part of our vision to make Tasmania the healthiest island on the planet, we see dental as an area with huge potential for generational change.
We’ve been working with the industry to explore how we can do dental differently, making it as accessible and affordable as possible and taking pressure of the public oral health system.
In 2024, St Lukes will open our own dental practices that supplement and support existing dental health services. In addition, we’ll also be reviewing our dental extras offering, exploring options around bite-sized dental-only extras products.
There’s also work to be done to improve Tasmanians’ oral health literacy. We need to understand how important healthy teeth and gums are to our overall health and wellbeing and shake off our generational perceptions around going to the dentist. There’s nothing to fear! Modern dental services are all about preventative care and early intervention. Regular maintenance minimises the need for major procedures.
We’re imagining a Tasmania where affordable and accessible dental services mean everyone can have excellent oral health. Now that’s something to smile about.
Luke Cameron is the Chief Health Officer at St Lukes.