Tooth and gum diseases affect the lives of many Australians; their job opportunities may be restricted, productivity and self-esteem reduced, speech impeded, and the pain, discomfort and difficulties with eating affect their health and quality of life.

It has been estimated that some 40 percent of the adult population face barriers in accessing basic dental care due to unaffordable costs and a severe shortage of dentists. That means regular checkups and preventive treatment are simply out of the question.

There is an urgent need to evaluate what works well, what doesn’t and why.

• Dental and Oral Health Brief Fact Sheet: Brief Fact Sheet
• Dental and Oral Health Policy Issue Paper: Policy Issue Paper

• Dental scheme well-funded, but not well-planned, by Dr Lesley Russell, The Canberra Times, 11 May 2007.
  
  
• Dental as Anything, by Stephen Leeder and Amanda Dominello, published by Centre for Policy Development, 31 March 2007

• Narrowing the inequality gap in oral health and dental care in Australia. A paper presented at an Australian Health Policy Institute Seminar by Professor John Spencer, Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of Adelaide (November 2004).
  
  
• What options do we have for organising, providing and funding better public dental care? A paper presented at an Australian Health Policy Institute seminar by Professor John Spencer, Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health, University of Adelaide (March 2001).