The New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) has welcomed the Government’s Budget Day dental commitments.

The Government will increase grants from $300 to $1000 to improve dental access for the lowest income New Zealanders.

NZDA says that their vocal advocacy has contributed to this successful result.

“The Association is pleased that a campaign promise delivering dental care to low-income families will now be fulfilled,” said NZDA Access to Care spokesperson Dr Katie Ayers.

“The Dental Association has called for the increasing of the grants for urgent dental care for a number of years now.

We have seen that for many people they are unable to afford to fix urgent dental issues, it is an issue of fairness and equity.

To know that thousands of New Zealanders will be able to be relieved of what are, in many cases, very painful dental conditions is a very satisfying outcome.

But this is not the end, the Association will continue to call on policy-makers to work with our profession to meet the challenge of achieving equitable oral health for our communities,” said Dr Ayers.

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