By Tate Papworth
Patients are facing more than a two year wait for public dental care in the St Albans electorate.
Figures released by the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB) last week reveal the electorate has more than 9000 people on a wait list for public dental health – one of the longest waiting times for the state.
The wait time for general dental care is 27.9 months, compared to the state average of 19.7 months. The average wait time for denture care in the electorate is 22.1 months. The St Albans electorate includes the suburbs of Albion, Ardeer, Kealba, Keilor Downs, St Albans, Sunshine North and part of Sunshine.
ADAVB chief executive Matt Hopcraft said the situation is unacceptable.
“For those stuck on a waiting list, there is an average waiting time for general dental care of 19.7 months, which is just too long.
“People who are eligible for public dental care may have to endure pain, have difficulty speaking and eating, miss school, struggle to find a job, or develop other serious health problems in that time.
“We know that poor oral health is one of the strongest indicators of inequality and yet the waiting time for general dental care has increased 67 per cent since 2014-15.”
Associate professor Hopcraft said the ADAVB was calling on the state and federal governments to support an increase in funding, with a target to double the number of patients being treated in Victoria on a yearly basis to 800,000 by 2023-24.
“This would represent approximately 29 per cent of the eligible population,” he said.
“The ADAVB have estimated that this would require an additional investment of $40 million each year on top of existing funding for the next five years.”
