What can we – as dental practitioners and advocates – really do to tackle the social and commercial determinants of health? And is it even our role to do so. In the previous episode of the Dental As Anything podcast I argued that poor oral health was as much a social issue as it was a dental issue. In this episode we explore some of these social issues, focusing on poverty and income equality, and look at the impact of unconditional cash transfers in improving health and wellbeing.
Poverty is a relative concept that describes a groups of people in society who are not able to adequately participate in activities that most people would take for granted. We should expect that most people have the money and resources to meet, at a minimum, their basic needs of food, clothing, housing, education and health expenses for themselves and their family.
Yet in Australia we see 3.3 million people (13.4%), and 761,000 children (16.6%) living in poverty – defined as having less than 50% of the median income. On a global scale Australia ranks poorly – 15th out of 34 OECD countries and with a higher poverty rate than the OECD average and higher than countries such as New Zealand, Germany and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, this level of poverty has remained relatively constant over the past 30 years at a time when income inequality has been growing. The wealthiest 20% of Australians have 90 times the wealth of the poorest 20%.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Several recent studies looked at the impact of unconditional cash transfers on health and wellbeing, with some interesting results. For example, there were fewer emergency department visits, particularly for those related to mental health issues and substance use, and increased use of dental services.
Poverty is not just about the absence of wealth. It is more than just a lack of money – it is a social condition of being disfavoured, or disadvantaged, or stigmatised or excluded. When we allow 1 in 6 children in Australia to grow up living in poverty – without access to good quality education, safe housing, decent employment prospects and access to health care, and with all of the attendant health and social problems that come with that – that is an injustice. If we fail to tackle this problem, then we are failing as a nation.
Listen to the full podcast episode here to get the full story, or listen on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Don’t forget to follow/subscribe, and share with your friends.
In case you missed it, you can catch up with the previous episodes of the Dental As Anything podcast here. Or check-out some of the most popular episodes:
Episode 4: If in doubt, fill ... dogma, myths and clinical judgement in caries management.
Episode 5: How will artificial intelligence change dentistry?
Episode 7: Do we have too many dentists?
Episode 11: Tongue tied and twisted
Episode 14: Using artificial intelligence for dental records.
Episode 15: Is poor oral health a dental or social issue?
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