Inequality revealed in New Zealand dental care

NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand dentists are being asked to “take a good hard look at themselves” following the latest survey to come out of Otago University. Researchers have found obvious inequalities when it comes to dental care and certain nationalities.

Dunedin local James Priest told TV One News he uses the University of Otago’s school of dentistry for one reason, “it’s cheaper and more affordable for a family”.

Lead researcher Jonathan Broadbent said low income patients and Maori and Pacific patients were more likely to have treatment such as tooth extraction rather than more complex treatment. He believed dental care needs to be publicly funded.

“We have a service that is dedicated for children and adolescence, but once a person reaches adulthood, they’re on their own.”

The government does currently fund some emergency dental care for pain relief or extractions, particularly for low income people, but generally the user pays. The study of 24,000 people over six years also showed Maori and Pacific islanders are twice as likely to have a tooth pulled than a more expensive option.

“Perhaps Maori and Pacific aren’t offered the same quality of treatments as other patients, perhaps because there’s an assumption they couldn’t afford it, but I don’t think we can make that assumption without exploring it in more depth,” senior research fellow Lisa Te Morenga said.

The researchers said New Zealand dentists need better cultural training, while the industry needs more Maori and Pacific Island dentists.

“Right now the proportion of Maori and Pacific in the dental workforce is very low and does not mirror the proportion of Maori and Pacific that are in the wider population,” Broadbent said.

- TV One News