3 August 2010
Issues in Oral Health for Low Income and Disadvantaged Groups in NSW: an Advocacy Kit for Community and Welfare Non‐Government Organisations will be launched by the NSW Oral Health Alliance tomorrow, 4 August 2010 during Dental Health Week 2010.

The launch at Parliament House will be hosted by Greg Piper MP, Independent Member for Lake Macquarie and Mayor of Lake Macquarie City Council. Other speakers will include Alison Peters, Director, Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS) and Dr Matthew Fisher, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Dental Association (NSW Branch).

This will be followed by a short consumer panel which will provide an insight into some of the issues facing disadvantaged groups in the community who are most at risk of poor oral health.

"This new resource has been developed by the NSW Oral Health Alliance for community and welfare organisations in NSW," said NCOSS Director, Alison Peters.

"The Advocacy Kit contains facts about 11 disadvantaged groups most at risk of poor oral health, supported by a number of short case studies. We outline the key issues with dental services in NSW, along with the Alliance's recommendations to improve equity in oral health, and suggestions about how organisations can take action to raise awareness of oral health issues and put pressure on our politicians to make teeth matter," said Ms Peters.

The NSW Oral Health Alliance is calling for the NSW Government to:

1. Increase funding for public dental services
2. Expand the dental workforce, in particular the public dental workforce and in rural/regional areas
3. Enhance public dental infrastructure; and
4. Address the oral health inequities by targeted initiatives for those most in need, including older people, people with intellectual disability, refugees, Aboriginal people, people in rural and remote communities, and people on low incomes.

"We hope that the Advocacy Kit will help raise awareness of oral health issues in the community and assist non‐government organisations to lobby state and federal politicians for fairer oral health policies," Ms Peters said.

An electronic version of the Advocacy Kit is now available for download from the NCOSS website at: www.ncoss.org.au/resources/issues-in-oral-health-kit.pdf

The launch will be held in the Jubilee Room, Parliament House, Macquarie Street Sydney from 9:30am to 10:30am.

Spokesperson & Media Contacts:

• Alison Peters, Director Council of Social Service of NSW (NCOSS)
  Mob: 0425 231 814
  Tel: (02) 9211 2599
• Bernard Rupasinghe Australian Dental Association (NSW Branch)
  Mob: 0408 234 344
  Tel: (02) 8436 9900