Dentists Call On Government To Improve New Zealand’s Dental Care This World Oral Health Day

The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) is calling on the Government to deliver on its dental promises this World Oral Health Day (20 March).

NZDA Access to Care spokesperson Dr Katie Ayers says it is now time to make good on the promise made in 2020 to increase the $300 emergency dental grant to $1000.

“The access to dental care for low-income New Zealanders is unable to improve unless the government delivers on this promise. We’re highlighting this on World Oral Health Day, as making this change would make an immediate improvement for tens of thousands of the most vulnerable New Zealanders,” said Dr Ayers.

We do want to acknowledge that Government has progressed the much needed expansion for community water fluoridation, and that this will benefit millions of current and future generations of New Zealanders.

“Wouldn’t it be lovely to see in this year’s Budget that the Government delivers an outcome to markedly improve oral health for a significantly large group of people,” concludes Dr Ayers.

Notes

NZDA recommends:

• For low-income adults, there is a need to address the financial barriers to accessing oral health care services through public funding which would allow affordable access to dental care
• For low-income adults there is a need for creation of new minimum levels of service for publicly-funded oral health programmes and to ensure that the resources to meet these standards are made available
• The patient must pay some kind of cost of the care (ie some form of co-payment )
• Adult dental health services are best provided by an oral health team led by dentists
• There is continued advocacy for the implementation of community water fluoridation
• Introduction of a ‘sugary drinks’ levy in line with WHO recommendations

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