New figures released in Dental Health Services Victoria’s 2015-2016 Annual Report show more Victorians are accessing critical oral health care than ever before.

Highlights include:

• 10,122 Indigenous patients accessed care – up to 8.8 per cent
• 401,067 individuals treated across Victoria (includes the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne and community public health agencies across Victoria) – up by 4.7 per cent
• 171,027 children treated – up by 3.8 per cent
• 164,003 people accessed emergency care – up by 2.3 per cent
• Specialist oral health care accessimproved with 17,249 patients seen – up by 8.9 per cent
• 1 per cent increase in people receiving denture care
• 1 per cent more people received care in our oral surgery unit

Dental Health Services Victoria CEO Dr Deborah Cole said Victoria’s leading oral health agency was more determined than ever to provide quality health care to vulnerable Victorians across the State.

“In adults, 57% of Australians can expect to develop tooth decay at some stage in their lives and tooth decay is five times more prevalent than asthma among children,” said Dr Cole.

“One million days of work are lost every year in Australia because of poor dental health and 19% of Australian adults aged 65 and over had no natural teeth.

What is even more shocking is that half of Australia’s 12-year-olds have tooth decay in their adult teeth, and more than 50% of 6-year-oldshave decay in their baby teeth. We will keep working hard to reduce these numbers by treating as many eligible people as possible.”

Dr Cole also urged policy makers to place a stronger emphasis on prevention through community education programs as a step forward in tackling the poor oral health of many.