Patients are waiting more than two years to see a dentist in the public dental system in Macedon, a new report has found.
Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch [ADAVB] study reveals that waiting times across the state have ballooned as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate the problems of an under-resourced public dental system.
Across the state the average waiting time for general dental care in the public dental system is 24.8 months at the end of 2021.
In data obtained under Freedom of Information by the ADAVB, it showed the average waiting time for general dental care at IPC Health in Macedon was 29.6 months.
In Sunbury, this average was 24.7 months, making both higher than the state average of 20.7 months.
There are 1676 people waiting for general dental care at Sunbury and Cobaw Community Health.
The ADAVB said that access to basic dental care and chronic underfunding continue to bite.
“There are more than 1.5 million adults who are eligible to access public dental care in Victoria, but only 100,000 were able to receive care in the six months to December 2021, as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to exacerbate the problems of an under-resourced public dental system.
“Waiting times for general dental care have now increased on average to 24.8 months across Victoria, the worst delays in care this decade.
“This average hides the dire story across the state, with 34,000 patients forced to wait more than three years.
“Long waiting times for dental care mean existing dental problems worsen. As a result, around half of all courses of care are for emergency treatment rather than routine and preventive care.”
The ADAVB is calling on both the state and federal governments to increase their investment in public dentistry so that vulnerable Victorians are able to smile.
Among the things they are calling for is the establishment of a Medicare Seniors Dental Benefits Scheme, an increase of the number of public dental patients treated per year to 800,000 within five years, developing a sustainable funding strategy and Introducing new measures to address long waiting times.
