Dental For All

When our teeth and gums are looked after, our whole wellbeing is improved. However figures released in November last year indicate that 40% of people in Aotearoa can’t afford dental care. In response to this the ‘Dental for All’ campaign has been created and is supported by medical professionals, unions, community groups, and social service providers.

Read on for facts and figures from recent polling released on World Oral Health Day and to find out more about the campaign and why Government is being called on to make dental care accessible for all New Zealanders, regardless of age or income. If you agree you can sign the petition here.

The petition has been created by Action Station who ‘support everyday New Zealanders to act together to create what we cannot achieve on our own: a society, economy and democracy that serves people and Papatūānuku’.

Dental For All

Dental For All – a campaign supported by medical professionals, unions, community groups, and social service providers including the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, Auckland City Mission, New Zealand Nurses’ Organisation, Auckland Action Against Poverty, and ActionStation, has recently demonstrated not only wide support but also great need for free dental care in Aotearoa.

Polling released on World Oral Health Day (Monday 20th March) shows that:

3 in 4 people (74%) agreed that the Government should fund adult access to dental care as it does for children.

7 in 10 (72%) of people surveyed had put off going to the dentist because they were worried about how much it would cost. Women were more likely to have put off going to the dentist (81%) than men (63%).

1 in 3 (34%) of people surveyed said it had been longer than two years since their last visit.

Since launching a petition on World Oral Health Day, we have seen extreme growth behind it. 10,000 people signed the petition in just three days, and since then it has grown to more than 14,500 people.

The polling and the petition follow the release of the “Tooth be Told” report in November last year that found 40% of people in Aotearoa can’t afford dental care.

It’s the only aspect of our health where people are expected to pay the full cost in the private market and we believe it is simply not sensible or practical to have so many people unable to access oral health care.

This election year, we want to continue demonstrating that free dental needs to be a priority for political parties.

Sign the petition here to join us.

We call on the Government to bring universal dental care into the public healthcare system to make it free for all.

Why is this important?

When our teeth and gums are looked after, our whole wellbeing is improved. Dental care means being able to share smiles with the people we love. It means being confident to connect socially and express ourselves.

But people in successive governments have chosen to treat mouth health differently to the rest of our bodies by excluding dental care from the public health system. It’s the only aspect of health where people and families are expected to pay the full cost in the private market. As a result, far too many of us are locked out of proper care for our teeth and gums. 42% of adults in Aotearoa can’t afford dental care. For Māori adults, it’s 54%, and for Pasifika adults it’s 52%.[1]

Untreated dental needs can lead to broken and decayed teeth, gum disease, diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and even potentially life-threatening situations.[2] It leaves whānau living unnecessarily with pain, shame, disrupted sleep, knocks to their confidence and mental health, and affects our ability to pursue work, education, and community goals.

Bringing dental care into the public health system means everyone’s teeth and gums can be looked after. In Aotearoa, we choose to resource our public health services because we recognise that everyone deserves to be looked after. We already make sure children under 18 years old can access free dental care and it’s time to extend that care to adults too.

No one should be turned away from healthcare because of their incomes. That principle of care should include mouth health too.

Now is the time for bold action that tangibly improves the lives of people in Aotearoa. Action that puts whānau wellbeing at the heart of our public services that are infrastructure of care.

References:

Tooth be Told. Association of Salaried Medical Specialists. 2022: https://issuu.com/associationofsalariedmedicalspecialists/docs/asms220501-tooth_be_told

The Shocking State of Dental Care. North and South, March 2022: https://northandsouth.co.nz/2022/03/12/nz-dental-care/