Almost one in five (18 per cent) Australians aged 15 and over who needed to see a dental professional had delayed seeing or did not see a dentist because of the cost, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
The figures also show that cost was the factor preventing over one quarter (27 per cent) of Australians in the age group of 25 to 34 years from seeing their dental professional.
ABS Director of Health Statistics, Ms Louise Gates, said: "This survey collected information on access and barriers to a range of health care services including general practitioners (GP), dental professionals and medical specialists."
Just under half (49 per cent) of all Australians aged 15 and over had visited a dental professional in the last 12 months. Of these people, just over half (57 per cent) had been two or more times.
"People living in areas of greatest socio-economic disadvantage were twice as likely to delay going or not go to a dental professional due to cost, compared with people living in areas of least socio-economic disadvantage (24 per cent compared with 12 per cent)," said Ms Gates.
"People living in outer regional, remote or very remote areas of Australia were also more likely to delay going or not go to a dental professional due to cost (21 per cent) compared with those living in major cities of Australia (17 per cent)."
Read a full summary of the Australian Bureau of Statistics' Patient Experience Survey.
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