Lakes children face long waits for dental work, ‘complex problem’ worsens in New Zealand

A Rotorua dentist is “very concerned” about the length of time children have to wait for dental surgery under general anaesthetic, with new figures showing some are waiting as long as nine months.

The New Zealand Dental
The Union says the “complex problem” is “worsening” across the country.

A “frustrated” Taupō mother has spoken out after months of battling to get her 6-year-old boy seven fillings – even going so far as to spend thousands of dollars on private surgery.

Te Whatu Ora – Health NZ Lakes data shows the average waiting time for children aged 15 and under requiring surgery is 131 days. Some waited up to nine months and 178 children in the age group were on the waiting list.

The average waiting time for emergency cases was 29 days. The Lakes region includes Rotorua and Taupō.

The mother, who asked not to be named to protect her son’s privacy, said he was in “absolute agony” and sometimes struggled to eat and sleep because of the pain.

He needed dental treatment under general anesthesia because of his “timidity and fear”, she said.

“She will wake up in the night crying and cry for hours. Sometimes he is in absolute agony.

“I want this resolved sooner rather than later – sleepless nights don’t do anyone any good.”

There were days he would come home from school with an uneaten lunch complaining of a sore throat, he said.

She first called the Taupō Primary School Dental Clinic in October after her son complained of a sore throat, but was told he would have to wait for an appointment.

In January she took him to Rotorua dentist Dr Leroy Chan, who referred her to the school dental clinic to begin the process to undergo dental surgery.

In early February, the boy had his first check-up at the clinic which referred him to Rotorua Hospital for surgery under general anaesthetic.

She said she was told by an oral health therapist at a dental check-up on April 17 that the wait for surgery could be around 12 months, which left her feeling “frustrated”.

He went on the emergency list for surgery and said so Rotorua Daily Post yesterday he was scheduled for surgery this month.

She previously said she considered paying for private treatment if she could see her son sooner, and had booked a consultation with a Hamilton pediatric dentist this month.

She was told the private surgery would likely cost about $4,000 — money she said she didn’t have but would have found “to make it happen.”

“I feel for other parents out there where this might not even be an option for them.”

He said it was really disappointing that children were allowed to “suffer like this”.

Te Whatu Ora Lakes did not comment on the boy’s case.

Ranolf Dental Surgery owner Dr Leroy Chan said he was “very concerned” about waiting times and the “suffering of children and their families”.

Chan evaluated the “nervous” 6-year-old in January and said he was in pain with “a lot of injuries” that needed treatment. He wrote to Rotorua Hospital recommending that he be put on the waiting list for surgery.

“Until it is treated, there is a risk that it will progress to the stage where it could abscess and become infected. Then we get to the export state.”

Chan said, in his view, school dental clinics lacked “the authority of people to see children on time”, which resulted in the worsening of tooth decay.

“This is something at the bottom of the cliff. If the dental service is delayed, then more children are not treated in time.”

Te Whatu Ora head of hospital and specialist services for the Lakes Gary Lees said the national shortage of dentists had “restricted the capacity of the service”.

Lees said three new single-chair dental vans will be operating in the Lakes community “very soon” to provide more children with examinations.

She said parents were encouraged to register their baby with the Community Oral Health Service at birth, meaning their first check-up would be at 12-15 months.

Children would normally have a check-up when dental teams visit their school and are eligible for recommended free annual checks until the age of 18.

But the vacancies “have affected the agency’s ability to see and assess every child within those time frames,” Lees said. Parents could make appointments as needed and a child in pain was “usually seen the same day”.

He said children who needed emergency dental surgery “usually” had severe pain, significant infection and swelling from decayed teeth, pain that interferes with sleep, limited food intake or may be “generally unwell”.

He said Te Whatu Ora Lakes was also looking to build on its successful school fluoridation visitation program this year.

New Zealand Dental Association CEO Dr Mo Amso said hospitals across the country have had “extensive waiting lists” of children needing dental treatment under general anesthesia for years, and this has been exacerbated by Covid-19 lockdowns. 19.

“Unfortunately this is not new, but it is a worsening situation. It’s quite a complex problem.”

Amso said factors contributing to wait times include labor shortages — particularly anesthesia technicians — and the availability of operating rooms.

Amso said the union welcomed the government’s changes to the fast-track residency policy, adding 32 health roles to the Green List, which included dentists, oral health therapists and anesthesia technicians.

Interim Director of Te Whatu Ora Population Health Programs Deborah Woodley said the number of children late for their routine check-up through the Community Oral Health Service has increased since Covid.

Woodley said a number of initiatives from the Covid-19 Response and Recovery Fund are underway to improve waiting times for hospital care, with planned pediatric care dental procedures a “priority” in this initiative.

A steering group was expected to publish drafts of recommended actions to address issues in the oral health and dental treatment workforce in June.

Preventive measures to protect your child’s oral health

Source: Te Whatu Ora Lakes