By Laura Michell
Patients in Whittlesea and Hume are waiting more than three years to see a dentist in the public dental system, according to data obtained by the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB).
The data, obtained under freedom of information by the ADAVB, reveals that across the state, the average waiting time for general dental care in the public dental system was 24.8 months at the end of 2021.
However, the average waiting time for general dental care at DPV Health in Craigieburn, Broadmeadows and Epping is 37.5 months.
According to the data, the longest waiting time at DPV Health was 46 months.
The average waiting time for denture care at DPV Health was 26 months at the end of 2021, with the longest wait 33 months.
There were 11,064 patients on the general dental waiting list at DPV Health at the end of last year, while 1258 people were waiting for denture care.
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.
