ADA response to Federal Budget 2013

The ADA Inc. has issued a media release in response to the Federal Budget announced by Treasurer Wayne Swan last night.

The release highlights numerous areas in which inexpensive action would have made a big difference to good dental policy, but which were overlooked.

Members interested in reading the ADA Inc. pre-Budget submission to the Federal Government will find it here.

Celebrations for La Trobe University's first dentists

The first dentists to graduate from La Trobe University's dental course marked the occasion with a graduation dinner in Bendigo.

The class of 2012 had 35 graduates, of whom 33 – along with their families, partners and friends – attended the function.

ADAVB’s Vice President, Dr Jo-Anne Cherry, encouraged the graduates to be involved in community work. 

Professor of Dentistry Peter Wilson, and Branch Councillor Dr Ben Keith, who is Clinical Director, and other staff celebrated with the students. Prof Wilson is pictured here, receiving from Dr Allsion Sahhar, a special plaque prepared by the 2012 year

Dental services will be stretched - ADAVB

Public dental services will be stretched following today’s Budget, the President of the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch, Dr Gordon Burt, said.

He said that the $3.3 million increase (1.76%) in the dental health services budget did not match CPI running at 2.5% (March quarter 2012-March quarter 2013 ABS), nor did it recognize that the State’s population continued to grow at 1.7% annually (ABS September quarter 2012).

Dr Burt said that Dental Health Services Victoria’s resources would come under further pressure, needing to meet the set waiting times for restorative dental care (23 months) and dentures (22 months). These targets are unchanged from 2012-13.

“Perhaps the modest increase anticipates the addition of Federal funding for the Adult Public Dental Services program from 2014. In the meantime the Victorian Budget will not reduce waiting times, leaving many Victorians still waiting for dental care,” he said.

“The pre-Budget announcement that the Western Dental Clinic Footscray would be replaced was a most welcome improvement to public dental infrastructure.”

Broadband connection helps country dental students

Technology Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips (right) visited The University of Melbourne campus in Shepparton to officially launch the “switch on‟ of the Uni TV trial that was funded under Round 1 of the State Government’s $18 million Broadband Enabled Innovation Program.

The 18 month project is being delivered by the Institute for a Broadband Enabled Society, in collaboration with the Melbourne Dental School at The University of Melbourne.

“As part of the trial, students and clinicians on placement in Shepparton will have the opportunity to view live and pre-recorded broadcasts of lectures, seminars and surgical demonstrations from the Melbourne Oral Health Training and Education Centre,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.

Replacement Western Region Clinic approved

In a very welcome pre-Budget announcement, Victorian Health Minister David Davis has issued a media release confirming that the Western Region dental clinic will be replaced.

The release advises that the Victorian Coalition Government will provide $9.7 million in the 2013/14 State Budget to enable works to commence on what Dental Health Services Victoria had dubbed ‘the worst public dental clinic in the State’ in terms of the age and condition of the buildings and equipment.

“This service has long outlived its facilities and the communities of the western suburbs had been appealing to the previous Labor government for many years to have these outdated facilities replaced, but it has taken the Victorian Coalition Government to do something about it,” Mr Davis said.

The ADAVB has been amongst those advocating for this badly needed replacement clinic for some time, and we therefore welcome the announcement, and look forward to the people of the Western Region and the staff of the clinic enjoying the benefit of updated facilities.  Once the State Budget has been handed down, a more detailed analysis will follow.

Small CPI movement

Inflation for the March quarter rose 0.4% in the March quarter, compared with a rise of 0.2% in the December quarter 2012.

 

The Consumer Price Index rose 2.5% through the year to the March quarter, compared with a rise of 2.2% through the year to the December quarter 2012, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The health group rose in the March quarter 2013. The main contributors to the rise were pharmaceutical products (+7.6%) and medical and hospital services (+2.0%). The rises were mainly due to the cyclical reduction in the proportion of patients who qualify for subsidies under the Pharmaceuticals Benefit Scheme and Medicare Benefit Scheme at the start of each calendar year.

Over the 12 months to the March quarter 2013, the health group rose 6.1%, mainly due to rises in medical and hospital services (+9.3%).

Call for consistent national approach on water fluoridation

Six national health bodies have come together to promote the benefits of water fluoridation and to oppose the recent decision of Queensland and some other State Governments to permit municipal councils to decide whether or not to add fluoride to their water supplies. And the National Authority for Comprehensive Aboriginal Primary Health wants fluoride added to the water supplies of all Aboriginal communities.

The health organisations have urged the adoption of a consistent national approach on water fluoridation and oral health, to ensure the successful achievement of health promotion and public health goals.

The bodies are the Public Health Association of Australia, the Australian Dental Association Inc., the Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association, the Australian Council of Social Service, the National Rural Health Alliance and the Australian Health Care Reform Alliance.

They see the decision of some councils to discontinue water fluoridation as a failure to protect the public’s oral health, and the cost will be paid by the individual and the taxpayer.

The National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation supported the action. In a submission to the Federal Government, NACCHO called for the fluoridation of all town, city and Aboriginal community water supplies that do not naturally contain a level of fluoride sufficient to prevent dental caries, and immediate fluoridation where this has ceased.

Safeguards needed for teeth whitening - ADA

The Australian Dental Association has called on the FederalGovernment to protect the public by implementing consistent safeguards forteeth whitening products and how they are to be used.

Government policy currently blocks qualified dentists fromproviding take-home teeth whitening kits to patients but allows unqualifiedpeople to administer teeth whitening to members of the public.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission hasissued voluntary and compulsory recalls of over-the-counter teeth whiteningproducts. The ACCC has also issued a notice to the ADA saying that theCompetition and Consumer Act barred dentists and unqualified people, such asbeauticians, from supplying certain teeth whitening products.

The Department of Health and Ageing recently rejected anapplication from the ADA for a stricter scheduling classification on teethwhitening products under the Poisons Standard.

ADA says that this situation prevents dentists fromproviding resources to their patients but at the same time drives consumers tounqualified people, risking damage to their teeth and mouths.

Practitioner focus for dental services inquiry

The Australian Dental Association and other dental practitioner bodies have appeared at a Canberra roundtable for the Parliamentary inquiry into adult dental services.

At the second public hearing, the House of Representatives Health and Ageing Committee also heard from State and Territory Governments as well as consumer groups. Participants discussed options for the future of the National Partnership Agreement for adult public dental services.

Discussion also included providing services to Indigenous Australians, rural and remote populations and people with special needs, workforce issues, and improving access to those in need.

New review of Medicare claiming

Using Medicare claims data, the Department of Human Services will review co-located health practitioners who may be engaged in over-servicing or incorrect claims under Medicare.

The Department will speak with those general practitioners, as well as any other medical or allied health practitioners who are co-located and whose pattern of billing is different to that of the majority of their peers, the Minister for Human Services, Senator Jan McLucas said.

Besides trying to detect possible inappropriate practice, the review will provide the Department with a better understanding of the impact of new business models on health practitioner billing behaviours, she added.

Senator McLucas said that the project will have a strong education focus, and resources are being developed to provide practitioners with information about billing under Medicare.

Teens urged to use dental vouchers

Teenagers are being reminded to use their Medicare Teen Dental Plan vouchers. More than a million eligible teenagers were sent vouchers last January.

The vouchers help cover the cost of a preventative dental check which may include a scale and clean, x-rays, sealing of pits and cracks in a tooth, fluoride treatment, oral hygiene instruction and dietary advice.

The plan provides teens with up to $166.15 towards the cost of a preventative dental check if they are aged 12-17, enrolled in Medicare and receive certain government payments (such as Family Tax Benefit Part A) individually or as part of a family.

The scheme closes at the end of the year. For more information, call 132 011.