Dental Health Services Victoria

Aboriginal health services from around Victoria are contributing to a new statewide Aboriginal oral health plan. The plan is being developed by Dental Health Services Victoria with advice from the newly-formed Aboriginal Oral Health Reference Group, which held its first meeting at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne last week.

The group includes eight representatives from regional and metropolitan Aboriginal health services who are required to take into consideration not only the communities they represent but also other Aboriginal communities throughout Victoria.

The new Aboriginal Oral Health Reference Group will alert Dental Health Services Victoria to gaps in service delivery in Aboriginal communities, and will give advice on oral health awareness programs and materials.

Ms Colleen Marion, Chief Executive Officer at the Western Suburbs Indigenous Gathering Place welcomed the new group.

“We all talk about the problem of oral health in our communities and organisations all the time, but it has been difficult to find ways to address the problems. The new reference group gives us a pathway to better oral health for our people,” said Ms Marion.

Ms Christine Ingram, manager of the dental program at Victorian Aboriginal Health Service, describes it as the next step in improving oral health for Aboriginal people.

“We first held a roundtable meeting with Dental Health Services Victoria in 2006 and as a result of that meeting an Aboriginal community development worker was appointed at the dental hospital. The reference group is the next step to getting better services and oral health awareness out into communities,” said Ms Ingram.

VACCHO (Victorian Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Organisation) is also participating in the group. Timothy Moore, senior policy officer, welcomed its establishment. “There is a lot to be done in the area of Aboriginal oral health and VACCHO is looking forward to helping improve DHSV’s capacity to work with Aboriginal people.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children have more than twice the amount of tooth decay experience when compared to the overall Australian population of similar age. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults have more missing teeth than the overall Australian adult population.

There is now growing evidence indicating that oral diseases, including tooth decay and gum disease, share common risk factors with other diseases, and that poor oral health occurs simultaneously with a range of chronic diseases.

“One of the first things we have to do is get the message out to our children and parents that good oral health is important to the rest of your health,” said Colleen Marion.

Jacqueline Watkins, Aboriginal Community Development Worker at DHSV, thanked the members of the group for their positive first meeting. “It is very exciting for me personally to see us get to this stage, and I think our first meeting was a sign that we will be able to do positive work together around improving oral health in our communities.”

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have priority access to public dental treatment and do not have to be placed on a waiting list to receive general, denture or specialist care.