Poor oral health costs the country in increased demands on our health system and reduced productivity, writes Helen Robinson. Photo / 123rf
Poor oral health costs the country in increased demands on our health system and reduced productivity, writes Helen Robinson. Photo / 123rf
Opinion by Helen Robinson
OPINION:
A smile seems so simple, something we all do. A happy adult smiles 40 or 50 times each day — a child as many as 400. The seemingly effortless act has many helpful health benefits such as reducing stress and enhancing positive emotions.
Yet people suffering poor oral health— such as decayed or missing teeth — smile less, if at all.
Basic health benefits of a smile are far from their reach — instead they are more likely to suffer from diabetes, heart disease and other health issues that cripple their lives and our health system.
It’s shocking that Aotearoa New Zealand recorded the highest unmet need for adult dental care among 11 comparable countries in 2020 (according to the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists’ Tooth Be Told report). About 40 per cent of New Zealanders can’t afford to visit a dentist. These are statistics to be outraged by and utterly ashamed of.
Like many examples of inequity, this truly is preventable. The answer: universal health care.
As we head into the 2023 election, two parties have already introduced promises of improved dental care. Labour promises to expand free basic dental health care to under 30s. The Green Party wants to make it free for all.
I’m encouraged by these promises and will support any policy that ensures access to dental care, particularly for those in Aotearoa who need it most.
You might ask why, when there are so many competing demands on the incoming government, should we bother? We should care because poor oral health costs the country in increased demands on our health system and reduced productivity.
At a moral level, it’s not right that people in a developed country such as New Zealand should suffer so badly.
You might also ask why I, as the Auckland City Missioner, worry so much about it. As many of the people who we see are our country’s most medically vulnerable and poorest people, accessing suitable and affordable oral healthcare is out of their means. If I can do anything to help them towards better oral — and overall — health, I will do it.
Helen Robinson is the Auckland City Missioner.
When at Auckland City Mission – Te Tāpui Atawhai we hear of people resorting to pulling out their own teeth because of intense pain, we feel helpless. When patients tell us they can’t sit in one of Auckland’s hospital dental clinics because they get fearful waiting for long times in crowded spaces, we feel devastated for them. When they get a diagnosis of diabetes, which is possibly due to the poor state of their teeth and mouth, we feel defeated. It can be hard to stay hopeful for what’s possible.
Yet in Calder Health Centre we have a vacant room with an optimistic ‘Dental Clinic’ sign on the door. We do not yet have adequate funding or access to dental staff sufficiently trained to care specifically for people who are medically vulnerable. I have a deep belief that the clinic will eventually operate but current government funding for dentistry leaves a gaping hole for that service to be provided. Appropriate funding will mean we can be assured those at the highest end of need receive care.
Last year’s Tooth Be Told report notes 2019 research from the Dental Association (NZDA) estimated a public scheme for “basic dental services” for 380,000 low-income adults would cost between $187 million and $450 million a year. Of that spend, using Treasury’s cost-benefit analysis tool, the research found the Government would get a return of $1.60 for each dollar spent. The key cost savings for Government are other avoided health service costs, reduced benefits, increased employment, and tax revenue, and avoided dental costs incurred by Te Whatu Ora. The estimated economic benefits for society as a whole were estimated at $4.50 for every dollar spent.
Surely these figures make it clear that providing dental care for those who need it most is a good plan.
As you go out to vote in the coming days, and in the years to come, consider how much healthier and more productive our country could be with an accessible dental care plan in place.
