In the spotlight today
Hon Peter Dunne's Opening Address to NZ Dental Association – 2009-08-20
Good evening.
I would like to commend the Dental Association for this spectacular occasion to mark the start of your conference.
Your association’s leadership in reviewing and updating its scientific knowledge and clinical practice, challenging prevailing attitudes and views, and promoting new ways of working, bodes well for the future of oral health in New Zealand.
The ‘Winds of Change’ theme is both apt and timely, as anticipating and managing change is vital for New Zealand’s good oral health.
In May, I attended the oral health professions workforce forum.
There, I was impressed by the way oral health professionals came together to consider the future needs of the public, your patients, and the sector.
The Government welcomes oral health professionals fostering leadership and working to better collaborate and co-ordinate between the different oral health disciplines.
Over the next two days, you will hear presentations that range from accounts of in-practice experiences to news of technological developments to discussion of the latest controversies.
In the conversations ahead, I encourage you to consider how the coming changes can best benefit the public.
Our public oral health system relies on many private dentists to provide a range of services including pain relief and emergency treatment for all New Zealanders as well as free access to dental care for adolescents.
As you know, the sector still faces pressing challenges.
Work must be done to ensure that New Zealand’s public and private oral health sectors meet their potential, and the needs of all New Zealanders.
I am especially concerned about disparities.
Oral disease now tends to concentrate in specific population groups, affecting in particular people of Maori and Pacific backgrounds, people with lower incomes, those with significant health and disability problems, and the elderly.
Tjhis is not the New Zealand way, and the Government is keen to explore options for improving outcomes for these groups.
The short answer is that complementary teams of oral health professionals need to be in place to best meet communities’ needs.
It is essential we have the right mix of professionals in the right place, right now.
Your proactive leadership at the oral health professions workforce meeting has laid a foundation for addressing this immediate concern and I am aware that the professions have identified key priorities for action.
So I encourage you to advance those priorities and to work with the government to take them forward.
Other health professionals – especially those in nursing and primary care – also face workforce issues,.
Across the board, we need openness between different health care providers to help develop effective solutions at the front line.
We also need to constantly promote regular contact and visits to oral health professionals, right across the population.
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Even with free basic dental care until age 18, adolescent oral health utilisation in 2008 sat at just over 60 percent well below our goal of 85 percent, but a solid increase from 52% in 2002.
Beyond adolescence, regular oral health care needs to extend throughout people’s lifetimes.
Research shows that just eight years after subsidised dental care ends only half of 26 year olds regularly visit a dentist.
In light of such statistics, your work promoting greater public awareness of oral health issues in partnership with the Ministry of Health is very much needed.
I encourage you to advance those priorities and to work with the Government to take them forward.
The Government has committed to continue the reinvestment in child and adolescent oral health services.
We are investing in reshaping the child and adolescent oral health service by allocating $116 million over 5 years for capital upgrades together with $40 million for improving services.
All district health boards have finalised and signed funding agreements to revamp child and adolescent oral health care.
An important part of this change has been an increase in Combined Dental Agreement funding.
You asked the Government to provide more money.
Well we did,
Since July 1, we have increased the fees paid to dentists for providing child and adolescent services under the contract.
But now it is up to you to respond.
Some DHBs are struggling.
We need dentists to step up and sign up to provide care for New Zealand’s young people under the new agreement.
I challenge you to continue your collaboration with the Government and leadership in the sector by working with us on this.
Your help with this year’s New Zealand Oral Health Survey is much appreciated.
Your co-operation in making premises available for researchers is just one of the many ways you have worked in partnership with the government.
The results of that survey will provide a useful assessment of the state of New Zealanders’ oral health and aid decisions on workforce planning, will assist targeting measures to reduce health disparities between groups and will enable new benchmarks to be produced.
Today, I have outlined some current and future challenges for the oral health sector.
You are stepping up to meet them admirably.
New Zealand’s oral health system demonstrates the benefits of carefully managed public and private co-operation.
Your willingness to engage with many parts of the sector is an example of the flexible leadership we need.
One example is your recent work in Northland.
Whangarei Hospital is working to assess the oral health of children admitted to its paediatric ward and promoting dental hygiene through dental therapist and dentist visits to the children.
NZDA has partnered with Colgate and Northland DHB to supply 1000 toothbrushes and toothpaste to the project.
It is just one case where you have worked to grow connections between different parts of the oral health system.
Further opportunities exist to build on the gains that have been made.
Clinical leadership in public oral health is needed.
Dentists and academic dental specialist leaders are needed to develop the future of public oral health.
My hope is that this conference will inspire tomorrow’s clinical leaders.
I look forward to working with you further to make the best of the future today’s changes bring.
ends.