New dental scheme challenged

The ADAVB has welcomed the Federal Government’s decision to continue to fund public dental treatment, however there are considerable issues with its approach.
 

The Association believes that the funding under the proposed Child and Adult Public Dental Scheme (caPDS) is poorly targeted, and will increase waiting times for many people, especially children who need it most (Dental Health Services Victoria reports that children from lower socio-economic backgrounds have 70% more decay than those from higher income families). 

Under the new scheme, treatment will be provided only be public sector dentists unlike the current Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) where eligible people can access treatment in both the public and private sectors.

Successful public-private partnership

The CDBS is an example of a successful public-private sector partnership, which effectively delivered targeted dental care to the most-needy children, with 97% of services delivered at no additional cost to patients.

ADA believes that restricting access to care to the under-resourced public sector will limit expenditure due to lack of ability to use services. It is this valve that will confine spending to $420 million a year, as patients won’t be able to access the care supposedly available. This annual allocation is 33% less than the figure of $615 million in last year’s Budget. 

Despite this, the Government claims that the new scheme will provide services to six million adults and children. Under the current scheme, three million children were eligible for treatment.

Public sector will be stretched

The reality is that the new scheme cannot possibly be delivered by the public dental services alone – they are already over-extended with waiting lists of nine months to three years. In Victoria, the current waiting time for general dental treatment for adults is 12.6 months. Dental Health Services Victoria reports that only 26% or the eligible population is accessing public dental care in Victoria over a two-year period. 

With 10.5 million people, including children, eligible, and an extra 600,000 to be treated each year, people could potentially only receive one treatment every 17 years.

People in rural and remote communities will be further disadvantaged.

Australian Dental Health Plan

The ADA has provided a considered solution with its Australian Dental Health Plan, which has been overlooked by the Federal Government while the caPDS has been roundly criticised. 

• The National Oral Health Alliance has pointed out that the caPDS represents a cut, not an increase, in funding.
• Australian Dental Association President Dr Rick Olive labelled the new scheme a budget-saving measure, “resulting in a reduction of about $200 million per annum for dental care”.
• The Doctors Reform Society said it was an “outrageous attack” on Australians’ dental health.
• Greens’ Leader Dr Richard Di Natale said: “This plan is a shocker,” claiming that “80% of dental clinics will be off-limits using this program, which relies only on dental systems run by the States”.