Dental professionals are calling on the Government to prioritise oral health care in New Zealand.

The comments came after the Rotorua Daily Post spoke to a “frustrated” Taupō mother who struggled for months to get her 6-year-old boy seven fillings - even reaching the point she was willing to shell out thousands of dollars for private surgery.

Te Whatu Ora - Health New Zealand Lakes data shows its average wait time for children 15 or under needing surgery is 131 days. Some were waiting up to nine months and 178 children in the age group were on the waitlist.

The average wait time for urgent cases was 29 days. The Lakes region includes Rotorua and Taupō.

This morning the owner of Ranolf Dental in Rotorua, Dr Leroy Chan, told Newstalk ZB’s Kate Haweksby he believed the Government was “not doing enough” to make dentistry a priority.

“I think [the] Government needs to look at dental health as an integral part of general health.”

Chan, who treated the Taupō 6-year-old, said children were “suffering for an unnecessary length of time” waiting to be seen. This was impacting their health and their family’s wellbeing, he said.

Speaking to Mike Hosking on Newstalk ZB this morning, New Zealand Dental Association chief executive Dr Mo Amso said “quite a number” of New Zealanders were unable to access basic dental care in their communities.

 “We have got research coming out from different centres across New Zealand which is showing lots of New Zealanders are ending up in ED [emergency department] and ICU [intensive care unit] with dental infections.”

Amso said, in his view, the Government needed a stronger vision for oral health in New Zealand.

Rotorua dentist Dr Leroy Chan. Photo / Andrew Warner

In response, Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall told the Rotorua Daily Post dental health was “an integral part of general health” and significant work was under way to improve access to oral health care.

“The dental health sector was impacted by Covid-19 lockdowns, increasing demand in the face of a domestic and global workforce shortage.”

Verrall said in recognition of this “urgent need”, Te Whatu Ora was working with industry leaders to consider actions and make recommendations on the education and training of dental professionals.

These were expected at the end of June.

Paediatric planned care dental procedures had been prioritised as part of the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund, with 1076 additional procedures planned to be delivered by the end of June.

Verrall said vulnerable New Zealanders also had increased accessibility to dental care as a result of funding made available in Budget 2022.

Health Minister Ayesha Verrall. Photo / Jed Bradley

She said fluoridation could halve the need for dental care which was why the Government continued to roll out fluoridation in local water supplies.

In July last year, then Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield wrote to 14 authorities, including the Rotorua Lakes Council, the Tauranga City Council, the Western Bay of Plenty Council and the Kawerau District Council, directing them to fluoridate their water under the Health Act.

It was the first time the directive power had been used since the relevant legislation was amended in 2021 to ensure a national approach to fluoridating water.

At the time in a statement, Bloomfield said fluoridation was proven to be a “safe, affordable and effective method of preventing tooth decay”.

“Community water fluoridation benefits everyone, but especially children, Māori, Pasifika and our most vulnerable.

“Water fluoridation helps prevent tooth decay, along with brushing your teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste, eating healthy food and avoiding sugary drinks. Fluoride in water acts like a constant repair kit for your teeth.”