Advocates blast government as ‘needless’ dental issues force older Australians into hospital

Advocacy groups are calling on the Federal Government to urgently fund a national dental scheme as thousands of older Australians are being admitted to hospital for easily preventable dental issues.

A new report from the Australian Dental Association (ADA) showed that from 2022 to 2023, 16,000 seniors were admitted to hospital for urgent treatment of painful dental issues and without urgent reform, the ADA expects that figure to rise by 42 per cent to 22,630 in 2027-2028.

Untreated dental issues, like gum disease or severe tooth decay, can spread to other parts of the body and potentially lead to serious but sometimes preventable conditions that require hospitalisation.

However many older people delay or put off going to the dentist due to the cost of dental appointments and increased cost of living expenses.

ADA President Dr Chris Sanzaro said the Federal Government could reduce hospital admission rates by funding a Seniors Dental Benefits Schedule (SDBS) for those who are 65 years or older and hold Commonwealth health cards.

“Potentially preventable hospitalisations like these represent not only a burden on our healthcare system but also reduced quality of life for our aging population,” Dr Sanzaro said.

“We should prioritise access to regular dental check-ups and preventative treatments to reverse this trend.”

Council on the Ageing (COTA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Patricia Sparrow, welcomed the report and urged the Federal Government to act on the ADA report’s findings.

“The Australian Dental Association’s new statistics highlight what we’ve known for a long time – that a lack of affordable dental and oral care is leading to disastrous health outcomes for too many older Australians,” Sparrow said.

“Every day our governments delay action on providing affordable dental care for those who need it most, more and more older people are falling ill and being forced into our hospital system unnecessarily. That’s not good for anyone.

“Good oral health is important for people of every age, but for many Australians – including many older Australians – access to the affordable dental support they need is out of reach, even more so at this time where the cost of living is stretching financial resources to the max.”

In the meantime, Sparrow reminded those in government that a federal election is on the horizon and pointed out that older Australians are demanding action.

“We can’t afford to wait any longer for our politicians to realise that this is a health crisis that needs to be urgently addressed,” Sparrow said.

“Including the Seniors Dental Benefits Scheme as part of Medicare, as we have done for children, is the kind of prevention focused policy we need to see from our governments.

“The introduction of a Seniors Dental Benefits Scheme would ensure older Australians get access to the quality, affordable dental care they need which will keep us healthier for longer, decreasing the burden on our public health care system and freeing it up for those who need it most.”