6-out-of-10 adults visited a dentist in 12 months prior to survey

While nearly 60% of adults visited the dentist in the year before a national dental survey was conducted, one-in-three said they avoid or delay dental visits because of the cost, according to a report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Among dentate adults (those with at least one or more natural teeth) who visited in the previous 12 months, about 56% went for a dental check-up and 44% for a dental problem at their most recent visit. Only one-in-five who made a dental visit in the previous year said that cost prevented them undergoing recommended treatment.Greens' health spokesperson Senator Richard Di Natale said that the report is proof of why the Greens' proposed dental program is an urgent and important health reform.