Frequently
Asked Questions

Tooth decay remains the most common chronic condition. Many Kiwis, especially Māori, Pacific people and those on low incomes, experience pain, infection and avoidable tooth loss, and for many there is a lack of access to care. 

Poor oral health fuels lost productivity and worsening chronic illness and, for some, costly hospitalisations. Over 323,000 adults had teeth removed in 2024 due to preventable decay. It’s a major public health and economic issue.  

Māori and Pacific communities, low-income families, people with disabilities, young adults and older adults face persistent barriers to care, from cost to geography to cultural inappropriateness. These gaps drive lifelong health inequities. 

Develop a national oral health strategy, restore leadership within the health system, redesign services based on need, fund care for adults at greatest risk of oral health issues, extend the coverage of community water fluoridation and legislate for stronger prevention, especially against sugar harm. This includes a tax on sugary drinks. 

Because sugar is a major driver of dental decay and other chronic health conditions, including diabetes and obesity. A levy, alongside clearer labelling and limits on marketing to children, will help reduce consumption, fund prevention and reduce demand in the health system. “We urgently need to tackle sugar head-on.” 

Yes. It’s one of the most effective and safest public health tools we have. Delays in fluoridation rollout are unacceptable — especially when thousands of children are admitted to hospital every year in NZ for tooth decay. 

It’s free — but many children and adolescents still don’t get seen. In Auckland, 50% were overdue for care in 2023. Services are stretched and not reaching the communities who need them most. 

Unlike GP visits, adult dental care isn’t subsidised — making it unaffordable for many. Over half of adults in high-deprivation areas skip care due to cost. Delivering dental care requires a team of people with high costs, just like many other health services.  NZDA believes oral health must be treated as essential healthcare.

We’re advocating for funded dental care for young adults, workforce expansion, and service redesign based on the needs of population groups and communities. We support culturally appropriate Māori-led services. We also want oral health fully integrated into wider health policy.

Because universal free dental care isn’t currently affordable or realistic, and doesn’t consider other issues that create barriers to care. NZDA is focused on designing and funding care for those most in need and where the impact is greatest — like children and adolescents, young adults, low-income adults, Māori and Pacific communities, and for dependent older adults and people with disabilities and complex health conditions.  Funding should be applied to make the greatest impact and to focus on equitable access to care.

By recognising Te Tiriti o Waitangi and backing Māori-led service design, the Roadmap supports equitable outcomes. Māori experience some of the greatest oral health needs in the country — this must change.

Oral health must be recognised as a human right, an essential part of health policy and as essential healthcare throughout the life course. NZDA urges political and system leaders to act now — before preventable problems worsen.