Petition seeks free dental care in NZ

A group called Dental for All is calling on the government to make dental care free for all adults.

A group that includes dentists Start an online petition today.

This is according to a recent poll conducted by Talbot Mills and commissioned by the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, which found that about three-quarters of New Zealand adults delay going to the dentist because of the cost, and that recent dental Only 43% visited a doctor. Year.

A poll showed that 74% of people strongly agreed or agreed that dental care for adults should be funded in the same way it is for children. Children’s dental care is currently free in New Zealand.

Public dentist Hugh Trengrove said dental care is a basic human right and it’s unfair that so many people don’t have access to it.

He said most people need regular visits to the dentist, and not having them checked increases their risk of developing problems with their teeth and gums.

“If we take care of our teeth and gums, our health will improve. We see horrible cases of poor oral health exacerbating health problems, but governments want to stop it.” We have the power to intervene to make it happen,” he said in a statement.

Sarah Dalton, executive director of the Sarah Reed Association of Medical Specialists, said in a statement that dental care is out of reach for many New Zealanders and “contributes to the health inequalities that plague our system. I am doing,” he said.

Meanwhile, Brooke Stanley Pao, Auckland’s anti-poverty coordinator, said it was time for the government to integrate dental care into the public health system and introduce universal, free dental care.

But when the report was released last November, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said more than $1 billion in additional funding would be needed annually to provide universal dental care.

Dentistry had to be put alongside many other priorities in the health sector, he said.

Talking Teeth: Read the story of Universal Dental Care in Aotearoa, New Zealand

The poll was conducted from 24 January to 7 February this year and sampled 1,286 national delegates across New Zealand. There is an error of plus or minus 2.7%.