A dental campaign group made up of dentists, unions, and anti-poverty campaigners has welcomed the Labour Party’s dental policy announcement of free dental care for everyone up to the age of 30 as “progress” and a “big step” today.
Dental for All – a coalition including public dentists, Auckland Action Against Poverty, and others, convened by ActionStation – has called for other political parties to offer their dental plans in the lead-up to the election.
“With 72% of people delaying visiting a dentist because of cost, we know bringing down the cost of dental care is one of the key political issues in Aotearoa, and it’s time every party had a plan to address it,” said Hugh Trengrove, a dentist and spokesperson for Dental for All.
A poll conducted in March this year by the union for senior doctors and dentists found that 74% of people in New Zealand support funding dental care for adults in the same way as it is funded for children and adolescents, who receive dental care for free.
That poll showed 77% of Labour and Green voters backed universal dental, as well as 73% of National and ACT voters.
“Labour’s announcement today is progress and a big step towards removing the cost barrier to get dental care, and we would love to see the next government go further and bring dental fully within the public healthcare system so that we stop viewing dental care as a luxury rather than an essential of life,” said Max Harris, another spokesperson for Dental for All.
Prime Minister Chris Hipkins referred today to the plan for free dental for under 30s as a step towards universal dental for all.
“Universal dental lifts the floor for everyone and provides a benefit to the middle class, which makes it harder to take away, and it would remove the stigma and shame that so many people feel now because they are unable to afford dental care,” added Brooke Pao Stanley, spokesperson for Dental for All and coordinator of Auckland Action Against Poverty.
The Labour announcement follows the Green Party announcing a universal dental plan funded by a wealth tax. Te Pāti Māori, ACT, and National have yet to announce dental policies.
Notes
Hugh Trengrove, Brooke Pao Stanley and Max Harris are available for further comment; to arrange interviews please contact Max Harris on 022 426 8939.
A petition launched by Dental for All in March 2023 now has over 16,500 signatures.
More background on the polling conducted in March 2023 by Talbot Mills can be found here. https://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE2303/S00049/more-than-7-out-of-10-people-support-bringing-dental-into-public-healthcare-system-new-poll.htm
Dental for All also backed a report published by ASMS in 2022, Tooth be Told, which showed that as of 2020 New Zealand had the highest level of unmet dental need among 11 comparable countries