Tasmania’s newest dental clinics are hoping to improve the state’s dismal oral health outcomes by making preventative care more accessible and affordable.
St Lukes Health has opened the doors on its first ever dental clinics in Launceston and Howrah, aiming to address the issue of dental health in a state with the lowest number of dentists per capita and the highest rate of missing teeth among adults.
According to the not-for-profit, Tasmanians also have to wait almost four years for non-urgent public dental care.
The new clinics offer a mix of services, including dentists, oral health therapists and hygienists, to ensure the right care is provided in the right setting.
“It’s not essential to get your regular scale and clean from a dentist,” St Lukes Health Chief Health Officer Luke Cameron said.
“Dental therapists and hygienist can perform a clean and scale, monitor any tooth concerns and refer you onto a dentist if needed.”
He said the new St Lukes clinics aim to make preventative dental care accessible to every Tasmanian and drive generational improvement in the state’s oral health.
Howrah resident Denise Shukri and her family, including seven-year-old son Ryan, attend the new Howrah clinic, seeing a dentist or oral health therapist as needed for their six-monthly checkups.
“We have always prioritised dental in our family budget, especially for Ryan to have a good start in life,” Shukri said.
“He eats, he talks, he smiles – it was important to us to invest in making sure he has no complications in the future.”
Shukri believes there need to be “easier stepping stones” for people to use public health services.
“I really feel like certain families will probably just give up and they’ll just say, oh, don’t worry about it,” she said.
“I just think that if there was some kind of way to showcase that, how to, sorry, how to put that all together, I think that would be so much easier for all families.”
