Access to Dental care amongst the aged

This paper examines access to dental services amongst older people living in Sydney. The results suggest marked underutilization by large segments of the aged population, and particularly by the poor, the physically disabled, the less educated and the very old. Yet good dental health is essential for nutrition, personal comfort, self‐image and oral hygiene. Adequate dental care is as important to the health and well‐being of older people as it is to other sections of our population. It is difficult to explain the continued neglect and paucity of government funding which characterize this aspect of public health services. 1984 Public Health Association of Australia