7News Just InNew push underway to provide free dental care for Australian seniors
A new campaign is on to make dental care more affordable for older Australians. Every year thousands of seniors need hospital treatment for basic problems triggering a fresh push to make oral health a national priority.
Seventy one year old grandmother Nicki McKay, had severe pain from gum disease.
Every time I ate something hot or cold, I'd feel that sharp pain and it was getting pretty distressing actually.
But she says she put off visits to the dentist because of the cost.
It has been pretty pricey for a while, but more so when you're pensioner and you're watching your pennies from week to week.
She's not alone. New data out today shows about sixteen thousand people over the age of sixty five are hospitalized each year for preventable dental treatment, and the.
Current prediction is for that to rise by that forty two percent over the coming four years.
The Australian Dental Association is now calling for a Seniors Dental Benefits scheme, which would provide around eleven hundred dollars of free dental care to eligible seniors every two years, a scheme very similar to the child dental Benefits schedule.
Preventionally is better than cure. When it's finally painful, it's much more extensive and expensive to fix.
The hit to the federal budget would be around one point two billion dollars a year, a cost neither major party is willing to commit to.
Our first priority is about delivering a general, sustainable general practice network.
Jennifer Beschwanti seven News
