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Victoria’s teeth among nation’s healthiest, report shows

By Djembe Archibald

Jan 18, 2024

Say cheese: Goulburn Valley Dental Group dentist Geoff Woodhouse. Photo: Garry Osborn Photography

A new study reveals Victoria has some of the nation’s healthiest teeth, ranking third with among the lowest rates of decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) per person

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Localsearch, a local business marketing website, studied data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare to find out which states and territories in Australia have the best and worst overall dental health among adults.

The research revealed that Victoria has the third-healthiest teeth in Australia, scoring 60 out of 100.

Victoria’s lowest scores came from the percentage of people with untreated decay at almost one in three.

The Northern Territory is healthiest, after scoring 78 out of 100, the highest in the country.

Overall rankings from best to worst are as follows: Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria, ACT, South Australia, NSW, Western Australia and Tasmania.

“I think Shepparton is a good example of Australia-wide oral health,” Goulburn Valley Dental Group dentist Geoff Woodhouse said.

“There are people who can afford to see a dentist and who utilise that ability and there are people who have a low socio-economic status who don't have ready access to it.”

Localsearch executive chairman Daniel Stoten said there had been a negative trend in oral hygiene over recent years.

“Data analysis shows that oral health among Australians has largely declined over the 10-year period, with five of eight regions experiencing much higher rates of tooth decay among its population,” he said.

“DMFT numbers fell across the country but are outweighed by the skyrocketing rates of people going without treatment for tooth decay.”