An Overview of Oral and Dental Health

Running Head: ECONOMICS 1
Economics
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ECONOMI
CS 2
An overview of oral and dental health
According to the World health organization (2018), oral health is one of the
major determinants of general health livelihood. Oral health therefore refers to a
condition where an individual lives free oral infections such as throat cancer, chronic
mouth pain, tooth decay and so many other infections. According the study by
W.H.O, half of the world’s population was found to be suffering from oral infections
with tooth decay being the most pronounced infection of all. In countries such as
Australia, the adverse effects brought about by oral infections are said to be worse in
a year as compared to those concerned with cases such as breast and lung cancer.
However, it clearly stated that such information has not been updated in over a
period of ten years (Russell, 2014). Most importantly, the burden of poor dental
health in Australia is enormous with tooth decay as the critical concern (Russell,
2014).
Butten et al (2019), states that oral health is not part of the health care system
irrespective of the fact that a public dental care system is in place. According to this
study in Brisbane, the capital city of Queensland, Australia, it was discovered that
the population in Queensland was economically frustrated where over 76.6%of
families had an annual income less than 37500 dollars. This therefore implies that
access to dental services such as clinical checkups, fillings for decayed teeth and
cleaning was very limited. However, the state of Queensland provided a number of
incentives to the population in which programmes such as the school dental services
through which children and adolescents were attended to. This type of arrangement
according to the State health department was to be carried out at least once every
two years.

ECONOMI
CS 3
These papers will however procedures to address the social and economic
costs associated with poor dental health to the community and individuals.
Additionally, the paper will also discuss the economic theories of inadequate fluoride
use, an analysis of increased fluoride use though water fluoridation and public
education programmes. An overview concerning the costs and benefits associated
with these programmes will be highlighted as well (Louise and Elizabeth, 2011).
Costs and benefits associated with poor dental health.
To begin with, the major resounding cost associated with poor dental health is
that which is concerned with huge financial burden. This cost is majorly pronounced
through the need to meet the necessary resources required for one to obtain proper
dental services. Some of the services involved in this process include cleft lip and
palate lip services, maxillofacial surgeries, and periodontal services, among others
(Australian institute of health and welfare, 2019). In terms of per-capita income
analysis, an average of over 416 dollars ($) were spent on the provision of health
dental services to the community. Household expenditure on the other hand was
estimated to be at an average of 7.62 dollars per week spent on dental fees within
the 2015–16 period of time (Australian Institute of Health, 2019).
Figure 1Graph showing Dental services per-capita expenditure(Australian
Institute of Health, 2019).