Current dental system in New Zealand is costing billions of dollars in lost productivity in addition to its social impact, says a new report.
This report assesses the economic and social costs as there is more than $6.2 billion a year in loss of quality of life and impact on productivity. Leaving dental problems untreated is costing New Zealand $2.5b a year in lost productivity, $3.1b in lost life satisfaction or quality of life, and $103m in sick days, according to the FrankAdvice report.
Dental for All, a group of health professionals, unions, and anti-poverty campaigners calling for dental to be brought into the public health system, had commissioned a report from service policy consultancy firm, FrankAdvice into the social, economic, and fiscal costs of New Zealand’s current dental settings.
Estimated average costs of a visit to a dentist is $353. Dental care is currently free for only those under 18. Work & Income, however, is able to help those on a low income or benefit pay for immediate and essential dental treatment up to $1,000 a year (any 52-week period)and this money is not to be paid back. Essential dental treatment includes treatment such as fillings and extractions, but not periodic cleaning or check-ups.
FrankAdvice used the Treasury’s cost benefit analysis tool CBAx and existing New Zealand and overseas studies to find the social and economic costs of our dental system.
The report did not, however, consider the costs or benefits for people who could afford private dental care and many of the values were also based on data from before 2022.
This report has reignited calls for free dental care campaigners and political parties.
Green Party who in 2023 campaigned on universal free dental paid for by a wealth tax, has called this report as a much-needed wake-up call.
“Healthcare is a human right that should be afforded to all, not just those able to pay for it. We can afford to look after one another and ensure people are not discriminated against accessing dental care due to cost. Successive Governments have excluded oral health from the public health system. This has led to people living in pain and developing life-threatening conditions, says the Green Party’s spokesperson for Primary Health, Ricardo Menéndez March.
Labour party campaigned in 2023 on making dental treatment free up to the age of 30 years and expanding it incrementally. Te Pāti Māori, other other hand, proposed free dental for families earning under $60,000.
The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon however, is focusing for now on its five health targets, before looking at dental care.
The report has given boost to the campaigners who are calling for making free dental care universal, saying that the cost of not acting is exceeding what it would cost to bring dental into the public healthcare system.
Auckland-based public dentist and dental for all campaigner, Hugh Trengrove says dental care was a basic human right, and the impacts that dental problems had on productivity were clear for anyone who had experienced them.
“It impacts your ability to sleep, to eat, to function daily, and it will certainly have an impact on your productivity…And if you’re in a work environment, there’s certainly productivity effects with that.”
The report notes that there is a case for exploring universal, free and Te Tiriti consistent dental care given the current costs.
Forty-four per cent of people over 18 do not access dental care because of cost and 22.5 per cent of people over 18 currently self-report the condition of their teeth as bad.
– from NewsViews
