Oral Health In Australia

The provision of dental treatment in Australia is a topic that ignites a wide range of opinions and emotions among the various stakeholders involved. Much of dentistry in Australia is provided in the private setting, some estimates suggesting 83%1. Australians fund up to 60% of dental care via out of pocket payments1,2. Only a relatively small amount of dental care is provided in the public sector to patients who are often disadvantaged in regards to their oral health1. It is estimated that a large amount of the population is unable to access dental care due to finances; however the capacity of the public sector to provide dental care is limited. With limited funding and resources, the public sector is unable to provide dental care for all Australians and a large proportion of people are on long wait lists, some estimates of 650,0002.

Oral health in Australia is a concern. The impact of poor dental health can instigate ulcers, gingivitis, gum disease and damage one’s overall health. Tooth decay is extensive among Australian adults, and tooth aches are a considerable amount of hospital admission for children (Parliament of Australia, 2013). Two in three children aged 14 years have deteriorated permanent teeth, while three in ten adults receive no treatment at all. Adults living in rural Australia are 1.7 times more likely to have no teeth than those in major cities. 14 percent of children and 37 percent of adults avoid or delaying seeing a dentist due to costs (Australian Institude of Health and Welfare, 2012). The advantages of installing a dental program within

A health system defined as ‘all the activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore and/or maintain health’ (WHO 2013). A good health system is indicated by its capability to delivers quality services, when and where the people need them (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2014). Australia’s health-care system is a combination of public welfare and private market provision (Willis, Reynolds & Keleher 2009). There are multiple layers of responsibility and funding provided by governments, individuals, health providers and private health insurers (Biggs 2013).

Dental health is continuing to play a substantial role in the overall health for both adults and children. Dental health may affect several domains of child development and growth69. Good child dental health is essential for developing several physical and social functions such as feeding, breathing, speaking, smiling, and social adaptation. In the other hand, dental diseases can impact the children in many ways which may include pain, discomfort, embarrassment, challenged cognitive development, reduced self-esteem, and impairments of daily life activities70. In order to create a healthy future for Australian school children, we need to understand the epidemiology of child oral health and oral health behaviors 71. Establishing good oral health behaviors and attitudes at early age can create an opportunities to minimize the oral disease burden in the future 72, which may reduce the overwhelming cost of treating oral diseases that has been accounting for around 6.5% ($5.3 billion) of total health care expenditure 73. In addition, a good oral health has not being a privilege for all Australian school children; obvious differences exist across each state and territory 72. Such differences can be related to socio-economic disadvantage, residence in geographical locations that have restricted access to health and other services, and Indigenous or non-English

Imagine after years of being dead, a human body is found and all that is really left of them is their teeth. Why? It may be because of the way they took care of their teeth while they were alive and the precaution methods they were educated about. Educating people about oral health is really important because teeth are the strongest bone in our body and they even preserve the most after we pass away, this means it is an essential factor to knowing how to protect them from getting a disease and keeping them as long as possible. Most patients are not aware of diseases in dentistry. Educating the older and the young generation will help to care for their oral health.

experienced better mouth care during their treatment. This is markedly important when patient holistic care during hospitalisation and physical treatment is an issue. Patients were more comfortable and some had improved in some of the activities of daily living to aid recovery. Patients also reported greater satisfaction with the nursing care they received when assessment was properly managed during admission (Skinner 2014). With the cost of mouth care rising for the NHS, there is need for an effective prevention strategy countrywide. According to an oral health factsheet the percentage of patients at risk of poor oral hygiene and also the figures of new cases of diagnosed mouth cancers each year which accounts for more than 7,800 (Mouth

According to the World Health Organization, “Worldwide, 60-90% of school children and nearly 100% of adults have dental cavities.”

“The impact of unmet oral health care needs is magnified by the well-established connection between oral health and overall health” (Fineberg, H. 2011, p. ix). Oral health status is linked with general health, as evidenced by the association between poor oral health and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and respiratory disease. Poor oral hygiene can also lead to other health issues such as, oral facial pain and digestive problems. “The silent epidemic of oral diseases disproportionately affects disadvantaged communities,

Additionally, the lack of dental education of parents is a deciding factor in the condition of their children’s teeth. The increase

Oral health has a direct impact on the general health, hence, it is important that all Canadians have adequate access to dental care services. Over the years successive Governments have reduced financial support to programs delivering dental care to most vulnerable populations. As a result, many low income families and other vulnerable groups have been unable to access dental care. There is further escalation in the disparities in oral health care among Canadians, as the number of Canadians losing dental care benefits continues to increase. Also, higher oral health care costs can be expected in the near future due to shortage of health care professionals.

If left untreated, pulp infection can lead to abscess, destruction of bone, and systemic infection (Cawson et al. 1982; USDHHS 2000). Various sources have concluded that water fluoridation has been an effective method for preventing dental decay (Newbrun 1989; Ripa 1993; Horowitz 1996; CDC 2001; Truman et al. 2002). Water fluoridation is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as one of the 10 great public health achievements in the United States, because of its role in reducing tooth decay in children and tooth loss in adults (CDC 1999). Each U.S. Surgeon General has endorsed water fluoridation over the decades it has been practiced, emphasizing that “[a] significant advantage of water fluoridation is that all residents of a community can enjoy its protective benefit…. A person’s income level or ability to receive dental care is not a barrier to receiving fluoridation’s health benefits” (Carmona 2004). As noted earlier, this report does not evaluate nor make judgments about the benefits, safety, or efficacy of artificial water fluoridation. That practice is reviewed only in terms of being a source of exposure to

Administration of this clinical skill involved undertaking an assessment of my colleague’s mouth before delivering any care in order to help determine the most appropriate means of delivering oral care. Malkin (2009) asserts that this is a critical component of the procedure and was one I was keen not to overlook. The World Health Organisation (WHO 2010) describes a healthy mouth as being free of chronic mouth and facial pain and in the situation described; this is the condition I found my partner’s mouth to be in. I was therefore happy to proceed with cleaning his teeth as instructed. I selected to use a soft bristled toothbrush and toothpaste. The use of these adjuncts are described by many writers as being the most appropriate in terms of removing plaque and preventing trauma to the gums (Holman et al 2005,McCauliffe 2007).Despite this it has been identified that they are also most

The Department of Health (2011, p17) states that “as the distance from major cities and regional centres increases, disease risk factors and levels of illness increase.” The health of Australians in rural and remote locations is generally poorer in comparison to people who live in major Australian cities and towns. There are a number of health concerns for remote communities including the following (Department of Health, 2011, p17):

Economic status of the dental industry is “A key risk factors for many oral diseases, and significantly determines both general and oral health” (Beaglehole Pg 49) .Countries income and dental care can determine the number of oral health or dental diseases people might have in that country. In appendix 8 and 9there is a chart which identifies the “Relationship between GDP per capita” (Beaglehole 48) in the dental care industry.