Dr Robin Whyman: NZ Dental Association Policy Director on current dental system costing $5.6 billion in lost productivity and life satisfaction

A new report suggests a fully funded dental system could cost less than the current approach.

Lost productivity and life satisfaction is costing New Zealand around $5.6 billion, prompting fresh calls for universal dental healthcare.

NZ Dental Association Policy Director Dr Robin Whyman tells Mike Hosking the association wants to increase the free dental care scheme to include those into their mid-twenties. The scheme currently covers those up to 18 years of age.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
New twist in the old dental argument and who should pay.
New reports suggests a fully funded dental system i either
state pace for it could cost less than what we
do right now now. Their argument is that lost productivity
and life satisfaction is worth five point four billion dollars.
Obviously we need to ask how they come up with that.
The New Zealand Dental Association policy director doctor Robin Wyman's
with us Robin morning glining, how are you well, thank you?

(00:22):
How do you come up with it?

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Well, it wasn't our figures. Actually, this is a report
from another group talking about the cost impact of poor
dental health and what they looked at was actually the
lowest or the highest need twenty two percent. So it's
actually quite a little bit misleading to say extrapolate that
across the whole population. But what we do agree with

(00:45):
is that if you've got poor dental health then it
does impact a cross and two more costs than just
paying for the visits to the dentist. There certainly costs
in terms of lost productivity in some days, in your
propect on your life. So absolutely we agree with that,
and we've had research earlier that showed similar things.

Speaker 1 (01:02):
It's a funny thing. If you follow the Farmac debate
with David Seymour, he's trying to argue something similar. So
he says if they can come to him and say,
if you fund ex pill or potion, we can save
why number of dollars in the wider economy, he's open
to that argument. So if he's open to that argument there,
it might be they're open to this argument here.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
Well, it may be, and I think if we the
way we're looking at this is to say, well, where
are those higher needs and where would you get perhaps
the most impact. And so what the Dental Association saying
is it would make some sense if you look at
the research to increase the free dental care scheme, which
goes up to eighteen years old into the mid twenties,

(01:42):
that's where we see quite a peak of acute admissions
into hospital and that young adult group with not we're
not talking about fractures and things like that. We're talking
about infections and things that need to be treated.

Speaker 1 (01:53):
It's because they don't have the money. They've had it free.
They're out there on the workforce for the first time
or as a student, they don't have the money. They
don't go to the dentist. That's where the problems come along.

Speaker 2 (02:01):
Well, but also that's where we tend to see some
impact into things like the hospital system, which is driving
a whole lot more cost than going to the dentists.

Speaker 1 (02:09):
Where do you draw the line though, If you said free,
what is it? A check up? Is it a filling?
Is it root canal work? Is it veneers? What is it?

Speaker 2 (02:18):
I think we'd talk about the essential dental care, so
check ups and fillings tooth out, if that needed to happen,
maybe you would go to root canal treatment, particularly if
you're talking about front teeth and those sorts of areas.
We're not talking about cosmetic treatments like veneers and orthodontics
in that sort of area.

Speaker 1 (02:36):
Well, let's say where it goes. Robin appreciated Robin Wiman,
who's the New Zealand Dental Association policy director.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
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