In Australia, 1 in 4 children – aged between 5 and 10 years old – experience untreated tooth decay.

For adults, 32 per cent have some form of tooth decay, with an average of 11.2 missing, filled, or decayed teeth.  

Access to quality dental care is essential for every Western Australian, but across areas of regional WA, significant barriers continue to hinder delivery of dental care.

After eight years of neglect by the Labor Government, regional health services and infrastructure are in a state of decline.

Staffing shortages for the School Dental Service are leaving children to suffer painful and life-altering dental decay and jaw-related conditions.

Regional communities are being made to wait more than three months for a problem-specific dental appointment, with simple issues becoming major problems, while other are not receiving regular check-ups.

Extensive waitlists, a shortage of public dental services, and long travel distances leave many without timely treatment, exacerbating oral health issues that can lead to pain, poor academic performance, and costly interventions.

The WA Liberals will not let Western Australians suffer from dental delays and accessibility issues.

Addressing these challenges requires a robust, community-focused approach that prioritises both preventative care and immediate access to necessary treatments.

Only a WA Liberal Government will provide it.

The WA Liberals believe addressing inequities in regional dental care access is not only a matter of fairness but also an essential health priority.

With growing dental disparities between metro and regional WA, especially for children, fixing current accessibility issues will see overall improvements in long-term physical and mental health for many across our state.

New South Wales currently utilises mobile dental units to service approximately 9,500 children, a service that has filled the gap for many regional areas.

This has allowed them to ensure that children in remote and at-risk communities can receive care within clinically recommended timeframes.

The importance of these targeted programs cannot be overstated.

A WA Liberal Government will commit $19 million to fund five mobile dental units to provide services in regional, remote, and at-risk communities.

These vans will provide regular, high-quality dental care to regional areas, including the Mid West, Pilbara, and Goldfields, ensuring no resident is left without access to essential oral health services.

If public services are unavailable, partnerships with local private dental providers will step in, allowing families to access care at no cost.

The integration of authorised private dental providers into the public health framework will ensure consistent, high-quality care while reducing the strain on public facilities.

This dual approach of improving public capacity and leveraging private expertise will significantly reduce wait times, address geographic barriers, and lay the foundation for healthier generations in the regions.

Western Australians deserve a government that will deliver timely and comprehensive dental care to children in the regions

Only the WA Liberals are committed to providing the services and infrastructure needed for positive health outcomes across our entire state.