AMA Submission to Senate Inquiry into Provision of and Access to Dental Services in Australia
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Provision and Access of Dental Services in Australia. Good oral health is important for our overall health and wellbeing.
The AMA has taken this opportunity to restate the primary calls made in our 2019 Report Card on Indigenous Health NO MORE DECAY: addressing the oral health needs of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and adults have much higher rates of dental disease that their non-Indigenous counterparts and are also less likely to receive the dental care that they need.
Fundamentally, governments must ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have access to affordable, culturally appropriate oral health care programs.
