Hi, I’m Nicola Ballenden. I’m writing to make you aware of a serious issue we are tackling at the Brotherhood – Australia’s dental system is in crisis and needs urgent attention.
Every day we work with people who need help. Sometimes this is help looking for work or managing money, help with child care or aged care, getting ready to start school or being able to finish Year 12. Over recent years we’ve noticed a constant stream of people who urgently need help getting dental care.
The human cost of poor dental health is immense. Bad teeth cause pain, impair the ability to eat and speak, and erode confidence. All this can make it harder to gain and keep work or live a normal life.
As the May Federal Budget approaches, we hope you will join us in pressuring the Government to take action and help achieve a better deal on dental for disadvantaged Australians.
Through our work at the Brotherhood we see how damaging poor dental health can be to the employment, quality of life and health of the most disadvantaged Australians.
Through our work at the Brotherhood we see how damaging poor dental health can be to the employment, quality of life and health of the most disadvantaged Australians.
Take Michelle’s story for example – all her life she struggled with self esteem issues and difficulties eating, simply because her family lived on a low-income and couldn’t afford to pay for the orthodontic work she needed as child.
Another example is Shane, he suffered severe pain due to an infected tooth, but when he visited his local community dental clinic, he was told he would have to wait two years before he could see a dentist.
And Pat, who was reluctant to smile because of her decayed teeth. She lived in discomfort for two years before she finally got into her local dental clinic to have dentures fitted.
The Brotherhood’s End the Decay report by expert health economists found that while a targeted program for disadvantaged people is a great start, a universal scheme is the best and most cost-effective way to meet the urgent and widespread need for dental care, and avoids the risk of a two-tier system of care developing for the haves and have-nots.
We need your support to make sure the Federal Government fully takes this issue on board. Please send an email to the Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek, supporting this campaign via our website at dental.bsl.org.au. You can simply send the email we've prepared, or personalise it and share your own dental stories with the minister.
Beyond the May budget the Brotherhood is calling for the inclusion of dental health in Medicare as a longer term goal, but one that must be reached as soon as possible. It makes no sense for the mouth to be the only part of the body excluded from the national health scheme. Medicare is based on the strongly held view of the Australian community that when it comes to our health, we all deserve a fair go. Access to healthcare should be determined on the basis of need, not ability to pay.
Beyond the May budget the Brotherhood is calling for the inclusion of dental health in Medicare as a longer term goal, but one that must be reached as soon as possible. It makes no sense for the mouth to be the only part of the body excluded from the national health scheme. Medicare is based on the strongly held view of the Australian community that when it comes to our health, we all deserve a fair go. Access to healthcare should be determined on the basis of need, not ability to pay.
If you share our views, it would be great if you could encourage others visit our dental site and email the Health Minister, tweet your support for the campaign and ‘like’ it on our Facebook page.
This campaign is not just about fixing teeth – it’s about mending lives.
Nicola Ballenden – General Manager, Public Affairs, Brotherhood of St Laurence
