DENTURE SERVICES DECAY

A decision to reallocate funding away from denture repair services may lead to elderly patients finding it difficult to get treatment, warned Kris Hanna MP, Member for Mitchell.

“A recent end to denture repair subsidies means that pensioners are now faced with the stark choice of either paying a lot of money for private treatment or waiting a potentially long period of time to see a technician at a community dental clinic” Mr Hanna said.

The decision to reduce funding for the State’s denture repair scheme was taken by the South Australian Dental Service. From the beginning of this week (Monday 26th), patients eligible to claim subsidies for treatment will only be seen at a community dental clinic, rather than at their local practice.

“If elderly people who require subsidised treatment are no longer permitted to be treated locally, the strain on community dental clinics could increase dramatically and waiting times could shoot up" said Mr Hanna.