The Greens launch vision of Denticare

The Greens have launched their vision for a universal dental care scheme. Leader Senator Bob Brown and the party’s health spokesman Senator Richard Di Natale announced a five year plan to bring dental care under Medicare, starting with the most needy.

“The cost of dental treatment has created an oral health crisis in Australia,” Senator Di Natale said. He said that more than half the population has poor oral health and a third of Australians report not going or delaying visits to the dentist because of the high out-of-pocket expense.

Senator Di Natale said that with the Government framing the next Budget, the Greens will be pushing for the first stage of Medicare funded dentistry.