Dental snapshot of the nation

Individuals contributed 58% of the $7.9 billion spent on dental services in Australia in 2010-11, according to a report released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report, Oral health and dental care in Australia: key facts and figures 2012, shows that the $7.9 billion spent on dental services in 2010-11 was 2% more than the previous year. 

The report shows that in 2010, 64% of people aged 5 and over had visited a dentist in the previous year. This ranged from 78% of children aged 5-14 to 57% of adults aged 25-44. Noting that just over half of all people aged 5 and over had some level of private dental cover in 2010, AIHW spokesperson Professor Kaye Roberts-Thomson said most adults with some level of dental insurance made co-contributions towards the cost of dental visits.

A second report, also released at the same time, The dental health of Australia's children by remoteness: Child Dental Health Survey Australia 2009, provides insights into the dental health of rural children. Dental decay was relatively common, with about half of children examined having a history of decay. Children in regional and remote areas were at increased risk of dental decay in their baby teeth compared with those in major cities.