Dental Benefits Plan Proposed In Australia

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28154, 18 December 1956, Page 7

Dental Benefits Plan Proposed In Australia

IN.Z.P.A. Australian Correspondent]

MELBOURNE. A dental benefit scheme drafted by a Sydney dental surgeon, is to be submitted to the Federal Government. The surgeon, Mr J. L. Hollis, considers that a national plan for looking after teeth, as the Medical Benefits Scheme looks after health, is long overdue. Mr Hollis outlined his plan at the recent annual convention of the New South Wales Liberal Party. The 500-odd delegates present approved it unanimously. So now 'the party will . submit it to the Federal Government. Under the plan, the Commonwealth Government would pay half the cost of treatment, and the patient the other half. Mr Hollis estimates that a dental scheme covering the entire nation would cost about £54 million a year. He realises that it would be financially impossible to introduce such a scheme at once, and so he suggests that it be put into operation in stages. First, Mr Hollis suggests that ’ the scheme cover expectant mothers, and children up to the age of five years. Mr Hollis estimates that the cost of treating expectant mothers would be £2,500.000 a year, and the children in the one-to-five age group could be covered at a cost of £5,500.000. Then the scheme could be extended to cover children in the five-to-15 age group, and old age and invalid pensioners. The cost of treating children m this age group would be some £15,000,000 and pensioners £2,500.000.

Thirdly, Mr Hollis would gradually extend the age group beyond 15 year by year, until the entire population was covered. According to his calculations, everyone would eventually benefit by the scheme at a cost of £5 a head. The Commonwealth Statistician has no figures relating to the present cost oi dental treatment to average families, but the fact that an ordinary filling for a child costs about 255, indicates that an average family’s dental bill is high. The Dental Association is at present conducting a survey to try to ascertain what a family pays in dental costs a year. Mr Hollis says that a family with three children could easily pay out £5O in one year in dental expenses. Figures compiled by the School Medical service reveal that dental disease is common among Australian school children. Last year, 75.3 per cent, of children examined had dental defects requiring treatment, and in the year before the figure was higher—76.s per cent. Mr Hollis believes that the final success of his scheme is based on all children being cared for in the early stages. By the time they become adults they would have reasonably good teeth. That would be a vital factor in keeping the cost of the scheme to the estimate of £5 a head.