AIHW says cost a major factor in dental access

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Doing the numbers on dental visits isn't always pretty.

One third of Australians avoid or delay visits to the dentist due to the cost, an increase from about a quarter in 1994, according to a report released this week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW).
However, the report (available here) also noted the total number of people visiting the dentist had increased since 1994.

The report, entitled Trends in access to dental care among Australian adults 1994-2008, uses information collected in the National Dental Telephone Interview Survey to examine trends in Australians visiting the dentist.

“Women, concession card holders, uninsured people and those who usually visited for a problem rather than a check-up, were more likely to avoid or delay dental visits,” said Dr Jane Harford of the AIHW’s Dental Statistics and Research Unit.

An increased number of people reported they had visited the dentist in the 12 months before the survey (55 per cent to 59 per cent between 1994 and 2008) and more adults visited for a check-up rather than a problem at their most recent dental visit (42 per cent to 56 per cent between 1996 and 2008).
”Despite this, not all Australians experienced this improvement, with notable differences among population groups,” Dr Harford said.

“Holders of Commonwealth concession cards, those who live in rural areas and those without dental insurance did not have the same gains in ‘visiting a dentist regularly’ or in ‘usually visiting for a check-up’ compared to higher income earners, urban dwellers and those with dental insurance.”

Half of Australians were holding dental insurance by 2008, following a period between 1994 and 2002 where insurance cover fluctuated between 36 per cent and 46 per cent. Middle-aged and older Australians were more likely to have dental insurance, with insurance coverage highest in the 45 to 64 years age group.

 

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