Australians struggling to afford oral healthcare, dentists say, backing calls to expand Medicare

Australia Broadcast Center

01-05-2025

Expanding Medicare to cover more dental services has the support of about two thirds of Australian dental practitioners recently surveyed.
Among the nearly 450 professionals who participated, including dentists, oral health therapists, and dental hygienists,
support was strongest for a means-tested and capped dental scheme.
That would mean patients would be eligible for subsidised care
based on their income, and only covered up to a certain financial limit.
Many of those surveyed reported their patients struggled to afford oral healthcare, and that affordability had become more of a problem in the past 12 months.
"We're in this cost of living crisis at the moment and … dentistry — which should be a necessary expenditure — has for a lot of people perhaps shifted over into a luxury item," said Matt Hopcraft, dentist and lead researcher.
"We see consequences of that play out in poor oral health in a lot of people."
Both Labor and the Coalition have
The Greens, on the other hand, have been
,
irrespective of income.
The vast majority of dental care in Australia is provided by the private sector and predominantly funded out of patients' own pockets.
The Child Dental Benefits Schedule covers part or all of the cost of basic dental services for eligible children, while adults with a concession or health care card are eligible for free public services —
Photo shows
Dental xray illuminated on a light screen.
A new report shows many Australians are delaying dentist visits or waiting years to receive publicly funded care.
According to the dental practitioners surveyed, about 40 per cent of their patients, on average, had difficulty affording general dental care, while nearly half delayed care or chose less ideal treatment because of the cost.
While the survey was "relatively small", Dr Hopcraft said, he believed the findings —
Calls to increase publicly-subsidised care
Research shows approximately one in three Australians aged 15 and over have untreated tooth decay, while around 30 per cent of adults have gum disease.
In 2023, a Senate inquiry into the provision of dental services in Australia recommended the federal government work with states and territories "to achieve universal access to dental and oral health care" through Medicare or a similar scheme, over time and in stages.
Health minister Mark Butler said in a
"We're focused very much on strengthening Medicare as it currently stands. But I think over time it would make sense to bring the mouth into our universal health insurance system," he said.
Many Australians rely on public dental services, which have extensive waiting lists.
(
ABC News: Luke Bowden
)
Similarly, shadow health minister Anne Ruston said the focus of the Coalition was on primary care.
"All of the statistics … tell us we have a crisis in primary care and first and foremost, that has to be addressed," she said.
Speaking to the ABC in April, Greens leader Adam Bandt said his party had successfully negotiated getting children's dental care into Medicare under a Labor minority government in 2012, and now wanted to "get it in for everyone".
The proposal, which would expand Medicare coverage to include check-ups and teeth cleaning, fillings, dentures and orthodontic work for all Medicare-card holders, is
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Both the Public Health Association of Australia and the Grattan Institute, an independent policy think-tank, have advocated for
The Grattan Institute has also said the scheme should exclude cosmetic services and orthodontics — a recommendation backed by the dental practitioners surveyed.
Dr Hopcraft said the survey showed dental practitioners primarily supported subsidies that targeted Australians "most in need", both to manage government costs and reduce the significant wait times in the public sector.
But it also found there was support for a capped universal scheme — akin to what the Greens and other groups have proposed — as well as a scheme for older Australians.
National body wants focus on seniors
The Australian Dental Association (ADA) has called for a
.
Government data shows in 2022–23, nearly 16,000 Australians aged over 65 were hospitalised with potentially preventable dental issues.
"The dilemma is that it's a massive amount of money … to get every person in Australia to be able to go and see a dentist under the Medicare scheme," said Andrew Gikas, ADA board member and clinical director of the University of Melbourne Dental School.
"If we've got a children's scheme that works reasonably well, and we've got the infrastructure in place plus all the legislation to make it work, why don't we just flick the switch and produce something that will target the other end of the scale, which is a senior's scheme?"
Photo shows
A middle aged woman with brown hair sitting at a table with a small dog
As the election draws closer, the Australian Dental Association is calling for a scheme that gives seniors access to free dental work.
The introduction of a seniors program was recommended by the 2023 Senate inquiry as well as the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety in 2021.
By providing subsidised care to older Australians, Dr Gikas said more space would be freed up to treat adults aged 18 to 65 in the public system.
"There is a system already in place for public dentistry — it's just a matter of making sure we either prop that up better or we take away some of the burden, and one of the burdens is the elderly and those in nursing homes," he said.
Despite the many different proposals for increasing publicly-subsidised care, Dr Gikas said it was clear that advocates agreed more government funding was needed.
"We're going to keep lobbying to make sure that whoever ends up in power starts thinking about a better way of doing it, because the current way is not working, and is leaving a significant amount of gaps."
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