The dental health of Indigenous people, migrants, and rural and
remote dwellers is examined in three new reports released today by
the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Adult access to dental care - Indigenous Australians
shows that a greater percentage of Indigenous people have lost all
their teeth compared with other Australians (28% compared with 14%
among 45 to 64-year-olds, and 16% to 11% overall).
Director of the AIHW Dental Statistics and Research Unit at The
University of Adelaide, Professor John Spencer, noted that among
adults who still had some teeth, Indigenous adults were more likely
than others to go to the dentist for a problem rather than for a
routine check-up (77% compared with 56%). 'They made fewer visits
and received fewer fillings, but experienced more toothaches in the
last 12 months.' Among those Indigenous patients receiving public
dental care there were higher percentages with advanced gum disease
(25.4% compared with 11.6%) and three times the rate of extractions
compared to non-Indigenous patients.
Adult access to dental care - rural and remote dwellers
shows that 50% of adults aged 65 or over who live in rural areas
have no natural teeth, compared with 43% in remote areas and 36% in
urban areas. For all adults, 16% of rural dwellers have no natural
teeth, compared with 9% for both remote and urban dwellers. People
living in remote areas were less likely to have visited a dentist
recently, while both rural and remote dwellers visited dentists for
problems rather than check-ups and received more extractions and
fewer fillings.
The third report, Adult access to dental care -
migrants, shows that language barriers appear to be a
disadvantage in accessing dental care and in achieving satisfactory
results from such care.
Professor Spencer said that overseas-born people who spoke a
language other than English were more likely than Australian-born
adults to see a dentist for a problem rather than for a check-up -
61% compared to 56%. 'They have more extractions, more fillings,
more toothaches, less insurance and more difficulty paying dental
bills.
'We also found the same group less likely to be satisfied with
the results of their dental care than Australian-born people, and
overseas-born people who speak English only.'
Adult access to dental care - Indigenous Australians,
Adult access to dental care - rural and remote dwellers,
and Adult access to dental care - migrants are
based on a series of National Dental Telephone Interview Surveys
and associated Dental Satisfaction Surveys conducted in 1994, 1995
and 1996 and the Prospective Adult Dental Programs Survey conducted
in 1995-96. Professor Spencer said that more comprehensive
information was needed on dental care and dental health among
disadvantaged groups to assist policy development in this area.
11 May 1999
Further information: Professor John Spencer,
DSRU, ph. 08 8303 5438, or Knute Carter, DSRU, ph. 08 8303
3067.
For media copies of the report: Mrs Lena Searle,
AIHW, ph. 02 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue (Indigenous
Australians, rural
and remote dwellers, and migrants) for
details.