A poll says 74 per cent of adults in New Zealand support dental care being funded the same way it is funded for children.
Video / Whakaata Māori
Children in Hawke’s Bay without any significant dental health concerns may have to wait up to three years for a free check-up due to staffing shortages in the public system.
Parents are said to be forking out hundreds in private dental check-ups, while Te Whatu Ora Hawke’sBay says the priority is seeing high-risk children more frequently as the push for staff recruitment continues.
Napier woman Helen Howard said she was shocked when she was told last month there was a three-year wait between dental check-up appointments at the local Tamatea Intermediate Clinic and other child clinics around Hawke’s Bay.
“My kids last had a dental check-up in August of 2022, and they normally go to the Tamatea community dental clinic. In about October last year, I thought they probably were due for a check-up because they are 7 and 9, at the age where their baby teeth are falling out,” she told Hawke’s Bay Today.
“I called in October last year, and they said they had a really big backlog and were only seeing children pretty much every 18 months.”
She was then told to wait until February 2024 to be contacted. After this time came and went, she reached out again this month, and staff told her they could not book anyone who was due in 2023 for any check-ups.
“I was told I could expect a two to three-year wait. I said, ‘Are you serious?’”
Helen Howard and son Miles, 7, were shocked to learn it could be up to three years before Miles could get a public dental check-up. Photo / Paul Taylor
Howard said she was told it was a nationwide issue and the only time children would be seen earlier was if they had severe dental problems or were in pain.
“They pretty much said, ‘Your best bet [is] to move to Auckland if you want them to be seen’.
“I thought that was kind of ridiculous. It’s going to get to the point of [the children] having cavities or pain before they are seen.”
Jeanette Frechtling, Health New Zealand’s manager of oral health services for Hawke’s Bay, said about 14 per cent of tamariki due to be seen for an oral health check-up in 2022 are yet to be seen.
“Like many areas in New Zealand, we are short-staffed and actively recruiting dental/oral health therapists, and as such, we are working hard to see these overdue tamariki.
“In Hawke’s Bay, we have over 32,000 tamariki whose oral health we look after. Our preschool tamariki are a priority. We aim to see Māori, Pacific peoples and tamariki at risk of poor oral health outcomes after their second birthday.”
Howard said knowing when a cavity was present was difficult, as she and many others didn’t have dental expertise.
A Facebook post where Howard shared her concerns attracted many similar responses from frustrated parents in similar situations.
“It had probably a dozen posts from concerned parents commenting they had the same thing happen.”
Many commenters also said they had opted to go private and deal with the cost. Howard said she will likely have to do the same.
“It’s fine if you can afford it, but most people really just can’t do it, considering the current cost of living.”
Frechtling said the current system for seeing children continues to follow Ministry of Health guidance.
“We see all tamariki when they are 3 years old. We will see tamariki at 4 years old who have had previous oral health needs or are deemed high-risk.
“From 5 years old, our tamariki are seen through the school system. There we generally aim to see tamariki every 12 to 18 months.”
If children are in pain, Frechtling encourages parents to contact the service at 027 2736 731 so an examination could take place.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.
