NSW dental waiting lists

There are at least 215,500 people waiting for public dental care in NSW, according to the Shadow Health Minister Mrs Jillian Skinner. This included 650 children waiting for a general anaesthetic for dental treatment at a Sydney hospital. She told the NSW Parliament yesterday that there was a crisis in public sector oral health services.

In a media release, Mrs Skinner said a leaked Government paper claimed that there were only seven public sector dentists per 100,000 eligible patients compared to the OECD average of 56.

According to Mrs Skinner, NSW spends the least per head on dental treatment of all States and Territories at $31 per person a year. This compares with $61 in Queensland, $51 in the NT and SA, $49 in the ACT, $46 in Tasmania, $42 in Victoria, $40 in WA with a national average of $48.