A study recently conducted by the National Survey of Adult Oral Health in Australia confirms that personal wealth is a major factor in determining the health of teeth. You may be saying, “duh”. But, until now there has been little more than empirical evidence to suggest such a relationship.
Study Results
The study, conducted between 2004 and 2006, determined that Australians from poorer suburbs were twice as likely to have 21 teeth or fewer. Twenty-one teeth is considered the bare minimum necessary. The study also found that those utilizing concession cards(Australian version of food stamps) were 4 times more likely to have fewer than 21 teeth.
Who’s to blame
Experts fault the inefficiencies in the Australian Public Health System for the problem. Specifically, they point to the out-of-control waiting lists many poor people are stuck on to see a public dentist.
Just to put into perspective how bad the waiting lists are for poor Australians, check out what the acting Health Minister, Jay Wetherill, had to say:
… we’ve reduced waiting lists from 49 months for treatment in 2002 to 19 months now. And we aim to reduce that to 11 months next year,” he said.
Solution: More Funding
This problem, as you probably know, is not unique to Australia. Britain is also experiencing widespread oral health issues due to the inefficiencies of their public health system. The solution many have proposed to remedy the situation is typical: just throw more money at it. Well, I’m a firm believer that throwing money at a problem time and time again will not produce different results than the first time you threw money at it. Therefore, the system needs to be overhauled. It’s pretty apparent to me that socialized medicine is not working in the majority of the places it’s operating. Privatization has to be an option on the table.
Question of the Day
What solution would you propose for improving the oral health of the poor?
Source: http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,24139795-421,00.html
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