Tassie battlers get a dental boost from a new RFDS outreach service

THE Royal Flying Doctor Service has peered into the dental health of Tasmania and deemed the state’s teeth are in need of a rescue.

Royal Flying Doctor Service CEO Martin Laverty has outlined the new dental outreach service while on a visit to Hobart from Canberra. Picture: NIKKI DAVIS-JONES

THE Royal Flying Doctor Service has peered into the dental health of Tasmania and deemed the state’s teeth are in need of a rescue.

The service is recruiting dentists to begin a new outreach service in the state, offering free access to dental care for eligible Tasmanians from next year.

The outreach program is backed by $1 million in Federal Government funding for the next calendar year and a further $1 million the year after.

The regional health service sees Tasmania as a national priority because of the barriers faced by people who either cannot afford to get help for their teeth or cannot access a nearby dentist.

Tasmania is the only state in the nation where dental issues are the leading cause of preventable hospital admissions.

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RFDS CEO Martin Laverty said Tasmanians were going to hospital with problems that would have been preventable if caught early — such as tooth decay, abscesses and gum inflammation.

“People are turning up to hospital with toothache because they are not able to get to the dentist,” said Mr Laverty while visiting Hobart from Canberra.

He said acute oral health diseases were also having an impact on other chronic conditions in Tasmania.

While the cost of going to a dentist was a barrier for many people, the regionalised nature of Tasmania meant others simply did not have a dentist in their area.

“Country Tasmania has a third of the rate of dentists compared with big cities like Sydney and Melbourne,” he said.

The RFDS will recruit dentists to work in existing public dental clinics and to travel by car to regional areas. The service also uses aircraft to reach the Bass Strait islands and other remote parts of the state.

Mr Laverty met the Tasmanian Health Service staff members yesterday to plan for the new outreach service, looking at areas of highest priority and the numbers in need.

While the state already had 14 public dental chairs to help needy Tasmanians, Mr Laverty said more were required.

The service already operates a limited dental service in Tasmania, which involved 250 screening checks last year — mostly of school children.

While exact numbers are still being worked out, the new expanded service will help “significantly more” including children and adults with health care concession cards.

The new service will also broaden from screening to preventive dental care and restorative work.

Originally published as Tassie battlers get a dental boost from a new RFDS outreach service