Dental Advocacy Group Launches Nationwide Roadshow To Overhaul How We Treat Teeth
Dental for All - backed by a coalition of dentists and oral health workers, trade unions, and poverty action groups - is pressing for free, universal dental care, delivered consistently with Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The roadshow, beginning in Wellington and Porirua, will see at least 25 events hosted across the country, from Whangārei (and further north) to Invercargill.
The first leg of the roadshow between Wellington and Rotorua includes town hall-type meetings in Porirua, Wellington, Palmerston North, Whanganui, Hamilton, and Rotorua. This first leg will see visits to universities, and events in other venues, such as schools and community markets. The second and third legs will also include free dental days.
'This is about the step-change we need in how we treat oral health in this country,' says Hana Pilkinton-Ching, Dental for All campaigner and roadshow organiser.
The 2022-2023 New Zealand Health Survey found that nearly half of adults (44%) experienced unmet need for dental care due to cost in the past 12 months.
'It makes no sense that we carve our teeth out from the rest of our body, and it's costing all of us, in lost productivity, downstream health effects, and reduced quality of life,' adds Pilkinton-Ching.
Research previously commissioned by Dental for All, produced by FrankAdvice using a Treasury tool, found that excluding dental from the public healthcare system is costing the country $2.5bn in lost productivity and $3.1 billion in reduced quality of life.
The cost of free dental for all has been estimated at $1.5bn annually.
'In my clinical work, I see how untreated oral health problems can worsen into serious health problems, and can lead to a loss of self-esteem and confidence, which affects how well people can participate in society,' says Samuel Carrington, an oral health therapist and academic, who is a member of the Dental for All coalition.
Dental for All has also produced qualitative research documenting experiences within the oral healthcare system, showing the limitations of existing available dental care for adults, such as the means-tested $1000 Work & Income grant for essential treatment.
'It's time to treat our teeth how we treat the rest of our essential healthcare, and to uphold Te Tiriti o Waitangi in how we do it,' says Carrington.
Dental for All is seeking to establish local organising groups to build nationwide pressure for Dental for All. Polling has previously showed more than 7 out of 10 people in New Zealand support making dental free.
Dental for All also continues to develop policy work that will be released in early 2026 on Dental for All models. One viable model is to establish an adult community dental service, made up of a network of community clinics with salaried dentists and oral health therapists, alongside Māori-led clinics (such as through iwi and hapū).
The roadshow begins with an event with older New Zealanders in Wellington at lunchtime on Monday 11 August, followed by an oral health promotion afternoon event in Porirua and a panel discussion at Tireti Hall at 5.30pm on Monday 11th. An event follows at Te Tai Ohinga, 203 Willis St, at 6pm on Tuesday 12 August.
Notes:
The first leg of the roadshow begins in Wellington on Monday 11 August and concludes in Rotorua on Tuesday 19 August. The roadshow will also make visits to Palmerston North, Whanganui, New Plymouth, Hamilton, and Rotorua.
The second leg of the roadshow begins in Auckland on Sunday 7 September, including a flagship event with Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson on Thursday 11 September. It ends in Flaxmere on Tuesday 16 September.
The third leg of the roadshow begins in Wānaka on Saturday 27 September and moves across the South Island, finishing in Nelson on Sunday 5 October.
The Dental for All coalition is led by ActionStation campaigners, and includes the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Auckland Action Against Poverty, dentist Hugh Trengrove, Workers First Union, Te Ao Mārama (the Māori Dental Association), Downtown Community Ministry, and the Auckland City Mission.
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