The difference between poorer and wealthier Victorians is six teeth.
Seven teeth for Australians.
The tooth decay gap between health care card and non-card holders is six teeth for Victorians and seven for Australians. The gap increased from three to six teeth between 2006 and 2018 for Victorians and from four to seven teeth for Australians.
Note: These data are average DMFT. Teeth may have decay (D), be missing because of decay (M), or filled (F) ie DMFT.
Australian data
| 2004-06 | 2017-18 | ||
| Card holders | Non-card holders | Card holders | Non-card holders |
| 16 | 12 | 16 | 9 |
Sources:
Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health. Australia’s Oral Health: National Study of Adult Oral Health 2017–18. The University of Adelaide: Adelaide, Australia. 2019.
Slade GD, Spencer AJ, Roberts-Thomson KF. Australia’s dental generations. The national survey of adult oral health. 2004;6(2007):274.
Victorian Oral Health Alliance 