AMA calls for action on oral health inequities
The AMA is calling for national action to improve oral health care access for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples experience poor oral health due to social inequities that prevent access to regular and culturally safe care.
The AMA has made a submission to a Senate inquiry into the Provision of and Access to Dental Services in Australia, calling on Commonwealth, state and territory governments to collaborate and make targeted investments in programs that provide health care services based on need.
The submission raises concerns about the lack of access to affordable and culturally appropriate oral health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
AMA President Professor Steve Robson said achieving health equity required a broad focus beyond just treating disease and managing risk factors.
“There are many social inequalities within Australia that give rise to serious health issues among disadvantaged communities,” Professor Robson said.
“Poverty, discrimination and a lack of appropriate health care all contribute to significant oral health inequities between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians.”
The submission builds on the AMA’s 2019 Report Card on Indigenous Health, which called for a minimum standard of 90 per cent population access to fluoridated water.
The Senate inquiry submission also highlights the need to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander participation in the dental practitioner workforce and collect comprehensive oral health data.
Service models must also be developed and implemented in collaboration with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, while ensuring investments reflect the varying cost of providing services in remote areas.
