Health Minister supports dental research and innovation

Victoria's Health Minister Mr David Davis (left) has launched the inaugural Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) Research and Innovation Grants Showcase. The event highlighted 10 research projects funded by DHSV to improve the oral health of the population. "The DHSV Research and Innovation Grants Program is a key part of the work to improve the oral health status of Victorians and I believe it will pay long term dividends," Mr Davis said.

Older Person and Dentistry Forum

The Minister for Health, Mr David Davis (pictured in the centre with ADAVB President Dr Anne Stewart and Associate Professor Matthew Hopcraft), and the Shadow Health Minister, Mr Gavin Jennings, addressed ADAVB’s Older Person and Dentistry Forum last Friday. The Minister addressed Mr Jennings saying he hoped that they could “do something in a collaborative and bipartisan way”. He spoke of remembering Mr Jennings, as the Minister for Aged Care, finding money for a non-budgeted aged care project. Mr Jennings said he would “support an issue in which the community would be better off”.

The Branch’s Vice President, A/Prof Hopcraft, spoke about the need for dental services for the older person. His Melbourne University colleague, A/Prof. Rodrigo Marino, provided information on services in residential facilities by dental health professionals. Dr Rain Papli addressed the audience on oral health services and Dr Warren Shnider spoke about specific oral health needs for the elderly.

Recommendations from the workshop included older person care being part of the syllabus for health care professionals, ways to make oral care part of the day-to-day activities of nursing homes, and greater collaboration between health professional bodies on this important issue.

Help shape Local Lead Clinician Groups

Clinicians will take a lead in ensuring that Australians have access to high quality, co-ordinated health care as a result of the national health reforms, according to the Minister for Health and Ageing, Ms Nicola Roxon.

Doctors, nurses and allied health professionals today were asked to provide input into clinical leadership structures with the proposed model of Lead Clinicians Groups released for final consultation.

Local Lead Clinician Groups will build existing clinical networks in States and Territories and it is expected that the National Lead Clinicians Groups will advise the Federal Government on national priorities and strategies to improve patient care.

The first set of Local Lead Clinicians Groups and a National Lead Clinicians Group are expected to be phased in from July, with the remaining groups starting operations from July next year.

Alliance calls for immediate oral health planning

Members of the National Oral Health Alliance (NOHA), including the ADA, have welcomed this week’s Federal Budget announcements on dental health, in the belief that they are precursors to major action promised by the Government for 2011-12 and for the Budget in May 2012.

They note that the Labor Government came to office in 2007 with a platform which included major new investment in oral health services for less well-off Australians through national leadership and the provision of better public dental services. This commitment was reiterated in the Gillard Government’s formal agreement with the Greens.

Initial action to meet these commitments has been detailed in this week’s Budget. The Government will allocate $0.5 million to establish a National Advisory Council on Dental Health “to provide advice to the Minister on options to address priority areas for dental health”.

In addition, the Budget has allocated $52.6 million over the next three years for a new voluntary dental internship program and members of NOHA look forward to contributing to its development and roll-out.

The Government has also re-committed to the introduction of a new Commonwealth Dental Health Program (CDHP) and will evaluate trials that have been undertaken of mobile dental facilities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders. The Medicare-funded Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS) is planned to end on 31 December 2011, with unspecified funding switched to the CDHP. This will see the Commonwealth Government funding state and territory governments for additional public dental services over three years.

Priority in the new CDHP must be given to eligible people with chronic conditions relating to their oral health, to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and preschool children. There will have to be a transitional strategy and sufficient CDHP funding to provide services to people in need.

Poor oral health is largely preventable through regular dental care and oral health promotion. It is quite unnecessary and unacceptable in this affluent nation that so many children and adults have shockingly poor oral health. Action on oral health must be the absolute number one priority for new health expenditure in the 2012 Budget.

NOHA believes that an improved oral health system is a critical part of a more equitable and effective health system. It has been promoting a plan to meet the needs of the over 30 per cent of Australians who indicate that they currently go without or delay dental care due to cost or unavailability of services. The NOHA plan focuses on oral health promotion and prevention.

Federal Dental Budget 2011

The Australian Dental Association Inc. (ADA) media release in response to the Federal Budget 2011, says that the ADA "is pleased that the Federal Government has listened to its concerns and has begun to address the workforce numbers and infrastructure problems that exist in the public sector".

However, the ADA has expressed great concern over the closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS) from 31 December 2011. ADA President, Dr Shane Fryer, said “the closure of the Chronic Disease Dental Scheme will leave many chronically ill patients without subsidised access to much-needed quality dental care."

Federal Budget papers suggest that the CDDS is being removed to help fund the reintroduction of the Commonwealth Dental Health Program, allocated $290m over three years. 

The ADA has welcomed $53m funding for an intern scheme (employing 50 interns), originally proposed by the ADA, along with establishment of a new National Advisory Council on Dental Health.

DBA considers definition of 'practice'

The Dental Board of Australia, at its last meeting on 29 April, considered a number of issues including the definition of ‘practice’. The communiqué on the meeting notes: “The Board considered a paper on the definition of ‘practice’. The definition – which is currently contained in a number of registration standards that have been approved by the Ministerial Council - has resulted in difficulties for some practitioners. The Board acknowledges the concern raised from the current very broad definition of ‘practice’ that arguably includes any activity in which a dental practitioner uses their professional knowledge. The paper will be modified on the basis of feedback from the 10 National Boards and will be the subject of wide consultation in the next few months”.

Federal Budget speculation on dental schemes

Tomorrow night’s Federal Budget is unlikely to contain funding for a universal dental scheme, according to media reports. Prime Minister Gillard had promised the Greens funding to fix dental care but the Government says it doesn’t have the money.
The Government may adopt the ADA Inc. proposal of a dental internship. Canberra watchers believe that there will be a $15,000 bonus for dentists who complete training in the public sector with targeting for rural and regional areas suffering from a shortage of dentists.
There is also speculation that the Chronic Disease Dental scheme will be closed.

Ban junk food advertising - health groups call

The Obesity Policy Coalition has developed a national blueprint to regulate junk food advertising. The proposal is endorsed many health groups, including the Australian Medical Association, the Australian Dental Association, Cancer Council Australia, Diabetes Australia and the National Heart Foundation.

Under the plan, junk food advertising would be banned on free-to-air TV from 6am to 9am and 4pm to 9pm on weekdays. On weekend mornings, when children tend to watch more television, it would be banned from 6am to noon. Similar time restrictions would apply to pay TV channels except for those primarily directed at children, such as cartoon channels , in which case junk food advertising would be banned at all times.

The plan also suggests the restriction of unhealthy food advertising on websites aimed at children and through email, SMS, magazines, G and PG-rated movies for children, sponsorship of children’s sports in and outside of schools and unhealthy fund-raising drives used for schools and children’s sports. The blueprint also suggests stopping advertisers from using toys and competitions as promotions for fast-food meals, such as McDonald’s Happy Meal toys.

The Obesity Policy Coalition report has been sent to Federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon.

Overview of health and welfare of Indigenous Australians

The health and welfare of Australia's Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: an overview 2011 is a summary publication of Indigenous health and welfare statistics prepared by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Together with a series of articles available online from the AIHW Indigenous observatory and the Australian Bureau of Statistics, it provides a comprehensive statistical picture of Indigenous health and welfare. Topics covered in the publication include: demographic characteristics; determinants of health and welfare; health and functioning; mortality and life expectancy; health across the life stages; health care and other support services; and health and welfare expenditure.

TGA launches new website

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has revamped its website. Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing, Ms Catherine King, said the revamped site is designed to clearly explain how prescription, over the counter and complementary medicines, along with medical devices are regulated. "The TGA is one of the most respected medicines' regulators in the world but for far too long its assessment processes have been too inaccessible to the public," Ms King said.

State Budget funding for dentistry

The State Budget provides $7.3 million over four years ($1.8 million in 2011-12) to continue dental programs that assist high-need and at-risk patients. A further $19.4 million over four years ($4.1 million in 2011-12) will go towards:

Building capacity to improve oral health
$8.2 million over four years ($2.0 million in 2011-12)
These funds will be used to provide denture care to seniors who are unable to access public dental care due to long waiting lists. Funding will also go towards supporting oral hygienists to provide services to residents in pension-level Supported Residential Services across Victoria.

Improving the oral hygiene of children aged 0-3 years
$2 million over four years ($0.5 million in 2011-12)
The Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles program will target at-risk families and build the capacity of health workers to promote good oral health.

Providing more graduate opportunities for dental clinicians within the public sector
$3.3 million over four years ($0.3 million in 2011-12)
Funding will be used to attract dental clinicians to the public sector by expanding the Oral Health Therapists Graduate Program to all graduating dental clinicians. Graduates will be placed in areas with the highest workforce shortages and more support and training will be provided to supervising clinicians.

Assisting with the relocation of dental clinicians to rural areas
$1.1 million over four years ($0.3 million in 2011-12)
These funds will be provided to help dental clinicians relocate from metropolitan locations to rural and regional communities.

Delivering three new mobile dental clinics in regional and country Victoria
$4.8 million over four years ($1.0 million in 2011-12)
Three new mobile dental clinics will serve rural and regional Victoria. One clinic will be delivered each year, starting next financial year. There will be additional investment in service delivery and incentive payments for clinicians to work in the mobile dental clinics.