Dentists concentrated in wealthy suburbs
A dental health care report released today reveals a large disparity in access to oral health services amongst different geographical areas within the same city. The Council of Social Service NSW found that those from Sydney’s disadvantaged suburbs have fewer dentists and thus unequal access to dental service compared to the more affluent metropolitan areas. Blacktown has one of the lowest rates of practising dentists in NSW, at just 10.9 dentists per 100,000 residents. This is significantly lower than the Upper North Shore which has over ten times the workforce with 155.4 dentists per resident. Similar studies on dental practice distribution in other capital cities across Australia such as Perth, reflect a comparable trend. These economic and geographical disadvantages results in a sharp divide between the quality of treatment available for individuals.