The number of Kiwis on benefits in need of emergency dental grants is skyrocketing - while an election promise from Labour that would increase the grant to $1000, remains unfulfilled.
By Jessica Mutch McKay and Lillian Hanly
Currently, those on low incomes or on a benefit can access $300 grants to pay for emergency oral care, but anything on top of that they have to pay back. Many of those beneficiaries are lumped with loans at an average of $704, up from $480 five-years-ago.
There are calls for the Government to hurry up and increase the $300 grant beneficiaries are entitled to.
New figures from the Ministry of Social Development show the number of applications for grants has risen significantly in the past four years.
In 2020, 87,000 allowances for emergency dental were granted, a rise of almost 20,000 compared to those allocated in 2016. At the same time, the total cost of emergency grants and loans went from $24 million in 2016, to $41 million in 2020.
Revive A Smile Dental Charity's Dr Assil Russell said they are "inundated with applications every day for people who are in extreme pain, who are suffering and they are unable to access affordable dental care".
There are calls for the Government to urgently increase the $300 grant for emergency work.
And the cost of dental treatment is increasing, with Russell adding that more and more people are getting into debt because they're paying off dental treatment that costs more than the $300 grant.
"Often this can be deducted from their benefit, and they don’t have enough in their benefit to meet day to day costs."
Dr Russell said the effects of people putting off dental care was tremendous, urging policy makers to understand the issue was not just about dental, "it’s about the overall health and wellbeing of a person".
"When you are in pain it's very hard for you to function and be a contributing member of society.
"It’s hard to go to work, to look after your family. The other thing is that it has a huge impact on your mental health.
She said patients told them frequently "about how they’re too embarrassed to smile, they can’t talk to their mokopuna, they’re too scared to go to an interview for employment because their teeth are so unsightly, or they’ve got swelling or bad breath because of dental infection".
President of the New Zealand Dental Association Dr Katie Ayers said the $300 grant cap was the same in 1995.
"It hasn't increased at all in over 25 years, so there is no way we can use that as being sufficient for getting a patient dentally fit, all it will do is possibly enable us to treat one tooth.
Dr Ayers was concerned at the rising amount of debt people would be facing to cover emergency situations.
"We know there is a desperate need for urgent funding of dental care," she said.
Labour pledged in the last election to increase the emergency dental grant from $300 to $1000.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said last September prior to the election that raising the grant was "an acknowledgment that after roughly two decades we haven't seen an increase in the amount of funding people on severely restricted, low incomes are able to access for dental care".
In Budget 2021, this acknowledgment was nowhere to be seen.
Greens social development spokesperson Ricardo Menéndez March said they were "disappointed that with an already slow pace in welfare reform, this is one of the many promises that Labour has languished on".
"Extending it so that it covers a thousand dollars would be a start for providing more dental care for people.
"Ultimately we should be looking at expanding dental care for more people in New Zealand so that people are not just going for emergency extractions."
Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni has said Labour's promised grant increase would happen during this term of Government, but hasn’t given any indication of when.
A statement from the Minister’s office today said they know debt was an issue and were taking a cross-agency approach to addressing it.
"Addressing the impact that debt has on families is also a key part of the welfare overhaul. This work will involve looking at the drivers and areas of biggest impact for reducing debt for people in hardship so that the system is fair and consistent.
The numbers for the first quarter of 2021 show that if the upward trend continues, it was likely 2021 would have an even bigger price tag than previous years.
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