2007-2008 Pre-Budget Submission

The oral health of the Australian population is neither very good nor very bad. Many in the community enjoy good oral health, aided by timely access to high quality dental care. By contrast, others in the community suffer from poor oral health, spending excessive periods – sometimes years – waiting to receive basic dental care in our public system. For a country with the financial means such as Australia this situation reflects poorly on our health system.

The ADA’s pre-budget submission outlines a clear plan to improve the oral health of the Australian population. In some areas we repeat calls made in our 2006-07 submission, while in others we highlight new areas for action. In both cases, this submission identifies areas where investment by the Commonwealth Government (which in some cases would be at modest levels) would lead to significant improvements in oral health for many in the Australian community.