By Sumeyya Ilanbey
Melton is bucking state averages for public dental care, with the electorate having one of Victoria’s shortest waiting times.
The waiting time for general dental care in the state electorate of Melton is
18.3 months, compared with the state average of 19.7 months.
The longest waiting time for general dental care in Melton was 21 months, compared with the state average of 48 months.
The municipality’s public dental care is provided by Djerriwarrh Health Services. In the past four years, it’s seen an increase in the number of people waiting for dental care, but the number of emergency patients it’s treating is steadily declining.
The figures have been obtained by the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch (ADAVB) through freedom of information requests in a bid to highlight the lengthy waiting times in the public system.
ADAVB chief executive Matt Hopcraft said Dental Health Week (August 6-12) was “the perfect time” to shed light on the sorry state of public dental waiting list times.
“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,” Associate Professor Hopcraft said.
While people are waiting for public dental care, existing dental problems could worsen, he said.
Consequently, more than one-third of public dental care in Victoria is for emergency treatment rather than routine care.
The ADAVB is calling on the state and federal governments to increase their funding for public dental care.
The state and federal governments are blaming each other for the decay of dental health services.
A spokesman for federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said the Andrews government had “failed to properly manage waiting times”.
But a spokeswoman for state Health Minister Jill Hennessy accused the federal government of slashing public dental funding by 30 per cent.
“The federal Liberals have abandoned Djerriwarrh when it comes to oral and dental health care,” the spokeswoman said.
“We’d urge them to come to the table and repair a system they’ve left in disrepair.”
