On the frontline of Australia’s paediatric dentistry crisis

New data from the Australian Institute of health and Welfare has highlighted that there has been an increase in the number of preventable hospital admissions as a result of dental problems over the past year, and the highest rate was amongst children aged 5-9 years. Yet paediatric dentists are having their access to general anaesthetic lists cut because they are no longer profitable for hospitals. The current system of funding hospital activity does not reflect the complexity and duration of paediatric dental procedures. Private hospitals will receive around $900 for a dental procedure, regardless of the length of time, but it costs about $1500 per hour to provide that hospital service. In this episode of Dental As Anything we talk to paediatric dental specialist Tim Keys about the crisis in paediatric dentistry. The issues with access to general anaesthetic services are longstanding, and should be of concern to everyone in the dental profession, because it points to the broader lack of priority that governments place on oral health.

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