Editorial: The only word that can describe our treatment of kids with rotten teeth

A child in excruciating pain from teeth so rotten they are nothing more than stumps must wait an average of 18 months to get surgical help, writes the editor.

Queensland’s treatment of children with dental issues has been blasted.

It’s difficult to measure the impact of Queensland’s woeful lack of fluoridated water without any publicly available data on pediatric dental waiting lists.

Which is why the Crisafulli government must move swiftly to rectify this lack of transparency.

Barbaric is a strong word, but that is the Australasian Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s assessment of how this state treats children suffering from severe dental problems. It wants the data made public so Queenslanders can know what they’re dealing with.

The academy says the average wait for pediatric dental surgery requiring anaesthetic is 18 months.

Yes, you read that right. A child in excruciating pain from teeth so rotten they are nothing more than stumps must wait an average of 18 months to get surgical help.

Heaven knows how long some of these poor children, whose treatment exceeds the average, have been waiting.

Even an adult complains about a toothache. Imagine, then, the nightmare for a three-year-old left to suffer with crippling pain from an abscess for months, even years.

Many of these children are unable to concentrate on their school work because of their trauma. Or worse, they have to skip school.

It seems incredible that in a country as wealthy as ours that some of our most vulnerable people, the very young, have been left to wait so long even if they have severe complications such as multiple abscesses and teeth rotting to the roots.

It is shocking that this situation has been going on, for who knows how many years – and largely unreported until The Courier-Mail launched its State of Decay series alongside its sister papers across Queensland.

But what is equally hard to fathom is that no one has any idea of the extent of the problem, and whether it is getting worse.

Amazingly, there is no transparent, publicly reported data on pediatric dental surgery requiring anaesthetic.

Adults and children are lumped together in the same list, which as at September last year had 3516 patients.

Dental experts believe pediatric and adult cases should not be classified in the same categories.

Labor, quite rightly, came under fire many times from the LNP when it was in opposition over the gaps in publicly accessible data.

In many instances, it was left to journalists to dig up that data.

Labor did, gradually, improve on this front, particularly after Shannon Fentiman took over the hot-potato health portfolio.

Now it’s the new LNP government’s turn to seize that baton and do even better.

After all, they were the ones who made an election promise of publishing “real time’’ hospital data.

Such statistics might take some time to introduce. Arguably, a more urgent priority is to publish wait lists for pediatric dental surgery. Parents at their wits’ end will then, at least, have the small comfort of knowing when their youngsters will be treated.

Councils in Queensland that have voted down attempts to add fluoride to the water (or have voted to take it out) must start listening to the experts, who say fluoridation is by far the cheapest and most effective way to reduce dental decay – thereby taking pressure off our hospitals.

PERSONAL ATTACKS A POOR LOOK

Speaking of hot potatoes, veteran Labor candidate Ali France has chucked one at herself.

Ms France, who is running against federal Opposition Leader Peter Dutton in his seat of Dickson, is under fire after emailing invites for a “Potato Night” fundraiser. It was an obvious dig at Mr Dutton’s appearance. He has alopecia, a skin condition which causes hair loss.

The event booking site has since been renamed, but it prompted calls for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to pull his candidates into line.

Only two weeks ago, he made Labor’s Victorian branch pull a social media meme mocking Mr Dutton and his wife.

There is no love lost between Ms France and Mr Dutton, after he was forced to apologise for saying she was “using her disability as an excuse for not living in our area”.

Ms France lost her leg when she was hit by a car in 2011 and has spent more than $100,000 making her home wheelchair-accessible.

Given that, she should know not to make personal attacks.

The incident is also something Labor can ill afford in an election year when it is on the nose.

Queensland’s most senior Labor figure, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, was left to salvage the situation.

He committed to not poking fun at appearances, but couldn’t resist calling Mr Dutton “one of the most divisive characters that’s run for Prime Minister in this country”.

That’s not much of an apology.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: The only word that can describe our treatment of kids with rotten teeth