Oral Cancer Statistics Updated

The latest cancer figures show that a Victorian is diagnosed with oral cancer every one-and-a-half days. More than 25% of these cases result in death.

According to data from the Cancer Council of Victoria, 230 Victorians were diagnosed with oral cancer in 2003. During that year, 43 men and 22 women in the State died from oral cancer. The Media Release highlighting some of this data is at the Quit website.

Speaking at the launch of the figures today, ADAVB President Dr Chris Callahan (pictured) said that dentists were at the front-line in diagnosing oral cancer.

"Oral cancer can be an incredibly destructive disease, but it is important to note that early detection significantly increases the chances of patients' survival," he said.

The Director of the Cancer Council of Victoria, Professor David Hill, said the sad fact about oral cancer is that many of the deaths it causes could have been prevented. He said the overwhelming majority of cases of oral cancer are a result of the combined effects of smoking and alcohol.

New WA Dental Bill

The new Dental Bill (WA) 2005 was introduced to the Western Australian Parliament on 23 November.

This draft legislation "provides for effective registration of persons practising dentistry and for dental prosthetics. It controls the use of the titles dentist, dental prosthetist, dental therapist, school dental therapist and dental hygienist and seeks to prevent conduct from non-dental professionals that may be misleading to consumers and the general public. Importantly the Bill adequately identifies members of the dental profession, enabling the consumers of dental service to make informed decisions when engaging a practitioner".

'Defenders of the Tooth' website launched

Ms Joanne Duncan MP, Member for Macedon, officially launched the 'Defenders of the Tooth' website at Kismet Park Primary School in Sunbury today.

This interactive website has been designed by the Health Promotion Unit at Dental Health Services Victoria to educate children about healthy habits for healthy teeth, and uses specially designed superheroes, MunchGirl, WaterBoy and BrushBoy to work with children to brighten smiles and fight disease.

DHSV's Health Promotion General Manager Fiona Preston said, "The website supports our key oral health messages of Eat Well, Drink Well, Clean Well, Play Well and Stay Well".

Medical Indemnity Discussion Paper

The Australian Government is to consider possible changes affecting the availability and affordability of medical indemnity insurance for health care professionals, including dentists.

On Friday last, Assistant Treasurer Mal Brough announced the release of a Treasury discussion paper on possible amendments to the Medical Indemnity (Prudential Supervision and Product Standards) Act 2003. That Act was one of a number of measures adopted to deal with the crisis of unaffordable premiums in the medical indemnity insurance market, arising from the problems then facing UMP.

The paper aims to provide options and invite comment on making medical indemnity insurance more widely available for health care professionals including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists and other health care providers required to be licensed or registered by a State or Territory.

The Government appears to be considering easing of the restriction on use of only APRA regulated insurers.

“Currently, only insurers subject to Australian Prudential Regulation Authority supervision can provide medical indemnity cover to health care professionals. Also, insurers are required to offer doctors retroactive cover for claims incurred in the past and run-off cover for claims made after the doctor has ceased to practice. The cover must be for a minimum of $5 million,” Mr Brough said.

“These requirements can limit the availability and affordability of insurance for such groups as employed doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, universities and volunteers. I am seeking submissions from the public on these issues by Friday, 27 January 2006.”

The discussion paper is available at the Treasury website.

Dental as Anything wins award

A radical dental programme targeting the homeless, people with HIV, mental illness and substance dependency has won a health award.

Inner South Community Health Services won the Excellence in Care Delivery award.

The honour is part of the first Victorian Public Healthcare Awards which were announced today.

Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said: "Through dental care programmes such as Dental as Anything, dental services get to people who most need them, in places where they feel most comfortable".

Vale - Dr Doug Loader

The funeral for ADAVB Past President (1977) Dr Doug Loader is being held at St Silas in North Balwyn today.

Branch President Dr Chris Callahan and CEO Garry Pearson will attend on behalf of the ADAVB.

An obituary acknowledging Dr Loader's many outstanding contributions to dentistry, will be published in the February edition of the Branch Newsletter.

Gippsland and North East Victoria to be fluoridated

More Victorian towns are to be fluoridated.

They are Sale, Morwell, Moe, Warragul, Traralgon, Wangaratta and Wodonga.

The Secretary of the Department of Human Services, Patricia Faulkner, today instructed two water authorities to fluoridate the drinking water supplies of these towns.

Gippsland Water will fluoridate the water supplies of the Gippsland towns and surrounding areas and North East Water will fluoridate the water supplies of Wodonga and Wangaratta.

Several weeks ago DHS announced that Horsham's water is to be fluoridated.

New Oral Health Plan for England

England's Acting Chief Dental Officer, Barry Cockcroft, launched the Oral Health Plan for England, Choosing Better Oral Health on 14 November. (A link to this document was not available at the time of writing).

The Oral Health Plan outlines a six step program that aims to improve oral health and reduce health inequalities. These six steps are:
- Fluoride. Increasing the use of fluoride will help prevent tooth decay;
- Improving diet and reducing sugar intake. Dental health will be improved by reducing the frequency and amount of added sugars consumed in line with the Government's target of 11% of food energy. Increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables to at least five portions a day and promoting the use of sugar free medicines;
- Encouraging preventive dental care. Oral diseases are preventable; the new contractual arrangements for NHS dentistry will allow dentists to adopt a more preventive approach to dental care;
- Reducing smoking. Smoking is a significant risk factor for periodontal disease and oral cancer;
- Increasing early detection of mouth cancer. Raising awareness of mouth cancer will lead to early detection and a reduction in the high mortality rate;
- Reducing dental injuries. People playing contact sports should wear mouth shields.

England's Public Health Minister, Caroline Flint, drew attention to the importance of fluoridation as part of the strategy to improve oral health. She said, "Choosing Better Oral Health encourages people to take control of their oral health. In fact, the lifestyle changes advocated, such as cutting down on sugar and giving up smoking, will also benefit peoples' general health, while at a national level, greater use of fluoride offers the best prospect of reducing inequalities. This is why we have amended the legislation on the fluoridation of water to give people in areas with high levels of dental decay a real option of having their drinking water fluoridated."

Expanded Powers for Private Health Insurance Ombudsman

The Minister for Health and Ageing, the Hon Tony Abbot MHR, has announced that from 1 July 2006 the Government will be strengthening the powers of the Private Health Insurance Ombudsman (PHIO).

The Government hopes the proposed changes will increase the effectiveness of the PHIO in resolving complaints. Areas under consideration include:
- expanding the cover of PHIO to include complaints by and in relation to additional health service providers;
- expanding the types of documents PHIO can require eg including health funds and health provider contracts;
- enabling the PHIO to mediate contract disputes;
- expanding the powers of the PHIO to make recommendations about the practices and procedures of health service providers (such as dentists); and
- ensuring that the PHIO and PHIO staff are protected from civil and personal liability from the increased powers.

The Government says it is consulting with the private health sector about these proposed changes and that it welcomes feedback and input, such as written submissions. These consultations are to be completed by the end of December 2005.

For further information phone (02) 6289 9853 (24 hr answering machine) or email an enquiry to PrivateHealth@health.gov.au

Health Fund Membership

The Private Health Insurance Administration Committee (PHIAC) has just updated statistics showing the percentage of the population with private health insurance as at 30 June 2005. Of particular interest to dentists is the percentage of the community with ancillary cover - which includes dental insurance.

In Victoria, only 31.9% of the population have ancillary cover, compared with a national average of 41.4%.

The adjacent graph illustrates the relative lack of interest by Victorians in private health insurance, especially compared with New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia, all of which are above the national average.

Burden of (Oral) Disease Study

The Victorian Minister for Health, The Hon. Bronwyn Pike recently released the Victorian Burden of Disease Study: Morbidity and Mortality 2001 (NB - this file is a 1.6Mb pdf).

Comments on Oral Health appear on pages 56-57, and include the following conclusions regarding caries rates:

"In Australia, as in most other industrialised countries, there has been a dramatic decline in caries in children and adolescents, with a high caries experience now affecting a minority of the younger population. This decline in caries activity has been attributed to increases in preventive measures such as the widespread use of fluoridated toothpaste, fluoridation of public water supplies (for most Australian capital cities except Brisbane), the use of fissure sealants, and changing public awareness. Although the caries experience has not declined markedly in middle-aged to older adults, management of the disease has improved in this population, with fewer teeth extracted and a greater number of teeth filled (Baultutis & Morgan, 1998)." (p. 56)

Dental Practice Board Vacancies

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has advertised seven vacancies on the Dental Practice Board of Victoria, effective from I July 2006. The vacancies include:

• three registered dentists;
• one registered dental prosthetist;
• one registered dental auxiliary;
• one lawyer; and
• one person who is not a registered dental care provider.

Those appointed at this time will continue in office after the new Health Professions Registration Bill takes effect on I July 2007.

The DHS website provides access to application forms, selection criteria and other information about these important roles. Phone enquiries can be directed to 9616 7523. Applications close at 4.00 pm on Thursday 8 December 2005.

New Registration Act passed

The Victorian Parliament yesterday adopted the Health Professions Registration Act 2005 without amendment, and this legislation will now take effect from 1 July 2007.

The ADAVB and other professional associations of health practitioners have expressed concerns about a range of matters contained in this legislation, and we will continue to make strong representations about key issues affecting public health and safety and fair conduct of disciplinary processes.

The Health Professions Registration Bill remains available at the Parliamentary website for those members who have not yet had opportunity to review it.

HSC reports on dental complaints

The Victorian Health Services Commissioner (HSC), Ms Beth Wilson, tabled her Annual Report for 2004/05 in Parliament this week, highlighting 178 complaints about dentists amongst the total of 2357 complaints about health services generally.

This figure is a slight reduction on the 183 complaints reported for the 2003/04 year. There are approximately 4 million patient attendances for dental treatment in Victoria each year.

At the time of writing, the HSC's annual report was not available on-line. We will post a link as soon as it becomes available. Extracts from this report related to dentistry will also appear in the February edition of the Branch Newsletter.

The graph shown here appears on page 23 of the report.

Nelson willing to review 35% full-fee cap

Further to our blog "Melbourne University announces Graduate Entry", the Education Minister, Mr Nelson, has indicated that further deregulation of Australian full-fee degrees may be considered.

Asked on Radio National's PM program on Wednesday whether the Federal Government would consider The Melbourne University proposal to remove the 35 per cent cap on local full-fee paying students, Mr Nelson replied: "It's something that I would be prepared to look at because I consider Professor Glyn Davis to be one of the leading Vice-Chancellors in the country".

The Opposition says Mr Nelson must rule out lifting the cap if young people are to have any hope of getting an affordable and high-quality education. Several leading Vice-Chancellors in Victoria have supported Professor Davis.

Health Professions Registration Bill Debated

The Legislative Assembly debate (see pages 78-108 of this pdf) on the Health Professions Registration Bill went into the early hours of this morning until adjournment. The Bill is due to be adopted, probably without further debate, on Thursday this week.

The various concerns of professional associations, including the ADAVB. were highlighted at some length by Opposition and minor party Members.

Melbourne University announces Graduate Entry

The Vice Chancellor of The University of Melbourne, Prof. Glyn Davis, yesterday announced a new strategic direction for the University which will see graduate entry for professional courses and a reduction in the student population from around 50,000 to 35,000 students.

The announcement states that "Melbourne will shift toward a model of broad undergraduate programs followed by intense professional training at postgraduate level, by introducing more graduate programs with a goal of one-third of all enrolments at postgraduate level and some faculties standing alone as graduate schools''.

Professor Davis said "the University must be freed from current restrictions so it can decide the right distribution of students between disciplines, between fee-paying and subsidised, between postgraduate and undergraduate". At this stage, it is not clear what annual fees might be charged for students enrolled in the graduate dental program. Figures of around $40k per annum over a four year course have been mooted.

Professor Davis, presented a draft of this strategic vision, Growing Esteem, to the University Council on Monday night. The draft will remain before the University community until the December meeting of the Melbourne University Council. Alumni and others wishing to respond to these new directions may wish to do so through University channels, or alternatively to send comments to the author for consideration by Branch Council.

Service trust ruling to be revised?

The Australian Taxation Office is expected to audit fewer small businesses following consultation with the business community on service trusts, according to today's Australian Financial Review.

Tax experts and businesses expressed concerns that many firms would be inadvertently caught in the ATO's planned audit of "high-risk" cases.

Acknowledging these concerns, outgoing Tax Commissioner Michael Carmody told a Senate Estimates Committee last week that the Department would change audit guidelines to narrow the audits of high-risk cases.

At the hearing, Mr Carmody also indicated that the ATO would issue more appropriate 'safe harbour' guildelines for the acceptable mark-ups on profesionals' services related to trusts.

Open letter to Health Minister

ADAVB has sent an open letter to the Minister for Health, Ms Bronwyn Pike, expressing concerns about the Health Professions Registration Bill. The letter states how the legislation will disadvantage the public and the dental profession.

To read the letter, click here.

A joint letter indicating shared concerns was also sent to the Minister today on behalf of the ADAVB, AMA Victoria, APAV (Physiotherapists) and the PSA Victoria (Pharmaceutical Society).

Dental Board vacancies

The Department of Human Services is advertising to fill seven forthcoming vacancies on the Dental Practice Board of Victoria.

Applications close on December 8.

Appointments will start on July 1 next year.

Details will be advertised in The Age next Saturday, November 19.

They will also be posted on the Department's website, click here after Monday, November 21.

Dental Schedule to go on-line

The last issue of the Dental Schedule will be printed on December 1. It will be replaced next year by a new on-line monthly publishing system.

The Department of Health and Ageing says the change results from a review of the Dental Schedule and the Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits. The Department adds that a survey of dentists found that they had little reliance on the printed version of the Schedule and generally use PBS information contained in dental prescribing software.

ADAVB Members can find out about the development of the monthly electronic listing and other changes to the PBS listing process by subscribing to the Department's e-mail update service - select the 'Subscribe to E-mail Updates' line on www.health.gov.au/Pharmbiz

For dentists who require a searchable and printable version of the dental listings in the Schedule, a copy is available at http://www.health.gov.au/pbs

Key Population Oral Health role vacant

The School of Dental Science at The University of Melbourne is seeking to fill the new ‘‘Colgate Chair in Population Oral Health".

Key responsibilities of the position include "strengthening interactions between the university and government and other organisations; and identifying and developing strategies to influence the national direction of population oral health research".

The appointee is required to have a dental degree that can be registered in Victoria, a PhD or equivalent, and an international standing and demonstrated leadership in research in the broad field of population oral health.

Applications close on December 16.

Dental boost for Bairnsdale

The Bairnsdale Advertiser (November 7) reports that Bairnsdale Regional Health Service (BHRS) has appointed three new dentists for the Community Dental Service.

They are director of dental services, Dr Sajeev Koshy, senior dentist Dr Shibu Mathew, who started last month, and Dr Sara Chu who will commence next January.

BRHS Chief Executive Officer Gary Gray said: "At no time in the history of the region has Bairnsdale and the surrounding area had this level of public dental services".

The community dental service will prioritise clients on the waiting list and accept new referrals.

According to the Department of Human Services, as at June 2005, waiting time for general dental care was 48 months and for dentures was 28 months.

Diet may contribute to hard tooth tissue loss

Visiting UK academic Professor Martin Addy today told ADAVB members of of the relationship between dietary acids and hard tooth tissue loss. Speaking at the Hard Tooth Tissue Loss seminar, he showed how soft drinks, fruit juices, fruit teas, alcohol and various fruits and vegetables can cause the loss of of enamel due to abrasion, attrition, erosion and abfraction.

Through the support of Colgate, Professor Addy stimulated the delegates with a number of illustrations showing the influence of saliva and different beverages on dentinal tubules.

ADAVB's final CPD event for the year will be Dental Caries: The State of the Game which will be held on November 18. The first CPD event for 2006 will be American dentist Dr Alan Meltzer talking about aspects of implant engineering, design and loading. This seminar will be held on February 2.

Small Business Tax Compliance Cost Study

The Federal Government has asked the Board of Taxation to undertake a scoping study of tax compliance costs facing the small business sector, and provide a final report to the Treasurer during the second half of 2006. The Treasurer's Press Release announcing the Board's scoping study is available from www.treasurer.gov.au.

The study is to concentrate on the sources of small business concerns. The findings will help with the Government’s ongoing efforts to reduce excessive tax compliance costs facing business, particularly the small business sector. The Board is currently considering how it will undertake the scoping study, including the processes for consultation with relevant organisations.

ADAVB members wishing to highlight key issues for attention in ADA representations to the study should send their concerns and arguments to the author at garry.pearson.ceo@adavb.org

The Board's report will take into account:

• the purpose and object of the law;
• the relationship between taxpayer compliance costs and government administration costs;
• costs incurred by business for non-tax reasons and any additional costs incurred by businesses or their advisors for tax reasons (tax compliance costs);
• transitional costs and ongoing tax compliance costs;
• taxpayer circumstances and commercial practices;
• other legislation; and
• any other matters the Board considers materially impact on small business tax compliance costs.
  

FDI 2006 Congress in China

The FDI 2006 Congress is to be held in Shenzhen, China. From September 22nd - 25th the beautiful city of Shenzhen will be host to all of the events involved in the FDI Annual World Dental Congress, including the World Dental Parliament, the Scientific Programme and what promises to be one of the largest dental exhibitions in FDI history!

The scientific programme and the latest information on the Congress are available on a special FDI website.

Rural Allied Health Undergraduate Scholarships

The Minister for Health and Ageing, Tony Abbott, issued a media release today announcing that people from a rural background wishing to undertake their first degree in an allied health discipline will soon have access to a new scholarship scheme.

The Commonwealth Government will provide funding of $4 million over three years for the new Rural Allied Health Undergraduate Scholarships Scheme for courses such as dentistry, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology. These new scholarships will be introduced from the 2006 academic year.

Dental Hygiene sales increase

The Australian Financial Review today reports that dental accessories were the fastest growing category in supermarkets in the 12 months to August 7.

According to the research firm ACNielsen, sales in the category, which includes teeth flossing and wiping products, jumped 31 per cent.

Details on taxing land held in trusts

New arrangements for the taxation of land held in trusts will start on January 1 next year. The tax will not be retospective. Details about the arrangements are contained in the Duty and Land Tax Acts Bill, currently before State Parliament.

In a media statement, the Treasurer, Mr Brumby, said the changes would affect only a small number of taxpayers, estimated to be less than 2000. He said existing trusts will have the option to be taxed at present rates by nominating a beneficiary. A surcharge of 0.375% would apply to existing trusts if a beneficiary was not nominated, in addition to the standard land tax scale.

An exemption from the surcharge will be available to the following types of trusts:

• Charitable trusts;
• Complying superannuation funds;
• Trusts established under a will, for a period of three years;
• Public unit trusts and wholesale unit trusts;
• Trusts established solely for disable beneficiaries;
• Trusts established solely for beneficiaries of a guardianship or administration order;
• Child maintenance Trusts; and,
• Trusts holding land for members of a club.

Mr Brumby said the combination of the exemptions plus the "nominated beneficiary" option meant that the vast majority of family trusts would be unaffected by the new model. He said revenue would be about $6 million by the fourth year compared with $20 million in the original model.

For more information, visit http://www.sro.vic.gov.au/SRO/srowebsite.nsf/index1.htm?OpenPage&charset=iso-8859-1 which provides a link to the media statement by Mr Brumby as well as a link to the legislation.

'Work Choices' Legislation Introduced

Employer members in particular will be interested in the progress of the Federal Government's new Workplace Relations legislation, which was introduced to the Parliament yesterday.

The Bill is now being referred to the Senate Employment, Workplace Relations and Education Legislation Committee for a 5 day inquiry concluding on 9 November. The Government is seeking passage of the Bill before Christmas and enactment in early 2006.

The Minister for Workplace Relations, The Hon Kevin Andrews delivered the Second Reading Speech on the Workplace Relations Amendment (Work Choices) Bill 2005.

It's not just a dental problem

The first steps were taken today to integrate oral health more fully into general health in Victoria. A workshop was held at the Royal Children's Hospital, involving stakeholders from a broad cross section of health providers. The workshop - aptly titled 'It's not just a dental problem' - focused on dental caries in children.

The catalyst for the event was the visit by Professor Wendy Mouradian, of the University of Washington. She spoke of how she has played a national role in the US, calling attention to the importance of children's oral health and addressing oral health training needs for medical professionals.

It is hoped that the workshop will lead to developing an ongoing programme of collaborations. The workshop was organised by ADAVB member Assoc. Professor Nicky Kilpatrick.

Dentists added to Skilled Migration List

Dentists have been included in the Migration Occupations in Demand List (MODL), according to a joint media release issued today by the Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs, Senator Amanda Vanstone, and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, The Hon Kevin Andrews.

"Professions and trades listed on MODL attract extra points for workers with those skills or qualifications for points-tested visa categories, making it easier for them to come to Australia as skilled migrants," the Ministers said.

‘The List has been extended to include mining engineers, petroleum engineers, chemical engineers and dental specialists,’ said Mr Andrews.

Applications which have an occupation on the MODL receive faster processing.

DHSV to participate in error logging

The Draft Sentinel Event Program Annual Report 2004/05, published by the Department of Human Services, contains a recommendation that Dental Health Services Victoria and private health services should participate in reporting sentinel events (medical errors) in future.

According to the Report's Foreword, "The focus of the sentinel event program is to identify system and process issues which impact on the safe delivery of patient care. It enables health services to critically analyse and identify how these issues can be addressed and assist in sharing the lessons across the Victorian health system and beyond".

To date this program has focussed on public hospitals, with guidelines such as "correct patient, correct site, correct procedure" resulting from analysis of the root causes of medical errors. The possible extension of the program to dental services seems likely to initiate a new emphasis on quality assurance.