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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Natasha May Health reporter

Labor and the Coalition brush over ‘scary’ decline in young Australians’ dental visits

3D panoramic X-ray of an adult male's teeth
A University of Melbourne study shows a ‘sharp decline’ in Australians’ dental visits between the ages of 15 and 20, and for a quarter of the population, this did not improve. Photograph: Carbonero Stock/Getty Images

Young Australians will remain victims of an oral health “blindspot” because of the “stubbornly agnostic” attitudes of major political parties to include dental in Medicare, experts fear.

The section of Australian society most likely to drop off from visiting the dentist is young adults. Many never return, according to a recent study that found the demographic accessed regular oral healthcare the least.

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