Prisoner access to dental care in Western Australia

Healthy teeth are crucial for a person’s overall health and wellbeing. Good oral health allows a person to talk, eat, and drink without experiencing pain, discomfort, or embarrassment. The Council of Australian Governments defines oral health as ‘more than simply the absence of disease in the oral cavity; it is a standard of oral functioning …

Dental service provision is inadequate causing ongoing dissatisfaction from prisoners  Prisoners have higher dental needs compared to the general population and have limited options to seek treatment and access pain relief. Therefore, it is imperative that prisoners can access dental care when necessary. However, there are not enough dentists to meet demand and access is …

Access to adequate dental care is essential for a person’s overall health and wellbeing. Yet for a variety of reasons, prisoners in Western Australia face many barriers accessing dental care and the provision of care largely depends on where a person is being held. The Department of Justice has limited oversight over the dental care …

Recommendation 1 The Government should commit additional resources to increase the number of DHS dental teams accessible to Western Australian prisons. Recommendation 2 Regularly analyse and evaluate DHS data to ensure adequate levels and equity of services, in regard to issues such as: demand, waitlists, gender, sentence status, security rating, and location. Recommendation 3 Regularly …