Prevention Pays: Cutting the cost of dental hospitalisations

Good oral health is critical to a person’s overall wellbeing and quality of life. It lets people eat, speak and feel confident without pain and discomfort. In NSW, not everyone has the same chance to enjoy good oral health. More people are ending up in hospital due to dental issues that could have been prevented through better access to dental care.

NCOSS worked with Mandala Partners to understand the scale of this problem, who it impacts most, and what it is costing our state.

We found that dental conditions are now the leading cause of preventable hospitalisations in NSW.

Most of these preventable hospital visits occur because of complications from untreated tooth decay and cavities.

NCOSS recommends several key actions to prevent tooth decay and cavities in groups most at risk including:

• Expand public mobile dental programs in primary schools and remote communities.
• Introduce financial support for pensioners to access private dental care.
• Provide clean, flouridated drinking water in all First Nations communities in NSW.

Read more in the Key Insights Report and in our full report linked in the right sidebar.