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About Bright SmilesWhy was it launched?The facts speak for themselves. The oral health of Australian children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, is a serious public health problem. Research shows that kids in need are at greatly increased risk of developing severe tooth decay. Up to 16% of Australian children aged 4-10 have decay in more than 30% of their teeth. 1 Almost half of Australia's six-year-olds have cavities in their baby teeth. 2 And our 12-year-olds have worse dental health than children in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, England, Wales and Switzerland to name but a few. 3 As the National Oral Health Alliance has pointed out, waiting lists for dental treatment in Australia are long, with many patients waiting months or years for treatment, meaning that dental problems may get worse before treatment is available. The Daily Telegraph recently reported that in NSW alone, the waiting list for public dental care is nearly 160,000. Across Australia, the figure is 650,000. Over 45,000 of those on the waiting lists are children. 4 Click here for our FAQs. 1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Socioeconomic differences in children’s dental health, 2001, Aug 2006, p. 11 2 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Water Fluoridation in Children’s Dental Health, 2002 Child Dental Health Survey, Dec 2007, p. v. 3 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Water Fluoridation in Children’s Dental Health, 2002 Child Dental Health Survey, Dec 2007, p. 34. 4 Daily Telegraph, 29 June 2007, ‘200,000 on dental waiting list’, Clare Masters. |
  To help kids in need, we need hundreds of dentists from across Australia to volunteer their time. The level of commitment is up to the practitioner. Please consider getting involved, and give a kid a smile! Click here to find out how your dental surgery can get involved.   |
