Tan Nguyen
#CroakeyLIVE – Tackling oral healthcare inequities
Co-sponsored by DHE, PHAA Oral Health Special Interest Group and the La Trobe’s Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, the #CroakeyLIVE event held in April 2024 illuminated the longstanding issues facing First Nations Australians. In particular, panel members called out on the urgent need for substantial oral health funding reform and necessary steps towards cultural safety.
Being solutions focused, panel members agreed essential oral healthcare should be embedded within Australia’s universal public healthcare system under Medicare. Whilst many participants supported the idea of a National Chief Oral Health Officer and Dental Officer, there were some reservations the role may be limited in capacity for strong advocacy efforts. There is no doubt significant investment is needed by the Australian government for essential oral healthcare. However, in the absence of strong national leadership for oral health, which extends beyond service delivery, it is hard to reconcile how this can be achieved under the ‘status quo’. In July 2024, the Australian government has since tabled the response to the Senate Select Committee on Access and Provision of Dental Services in Australia.
For many oral health advocates, the Australian government responses have largely been disappointing, with no formal commitment towards universal access to affordable oral healthcare. Key areas in support by the Australian government include the expanded and optimal utilisation of dental hygienists and oral health therapists, increased focus on First Nations peoples, rural and remote access to oral healthcare, and oral health workforce training. There is clear commitment to develop and implement Australia’s National Oral Health Plan 2025-2034.
However, from a health economics perspective, it is clear that budget pressures are the most significant issue for oral health reform. It is notable that some of the commentary has steered towards including oral health in Medicare (e.g. through the MSAC process), more oral health research to guide oral health policy, and applying existing funding arrangements to increase access to oral healthcare (e.g. Child Dental Benefits Schedule, Federal Financial Relations agreement for public dental services, Aboriginal Community Controlled Health etc).
International Association for Dental Research Oral Health Research Award
The Awards Committee has selected Mr. Tan Nguyen, Oral Health Therapist, as the recipient for this prestigious award! Tan is a Research Fellow at Deakin Health Economics Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University in Victoria Australia and Senior Research and Policy Officer for Dental Health Services Victoria. Currently, he is a PhD Candidate at Monash University (Australia) and an Editorial Board Member for the Journal of Dental Research, Clinical and Translational Research as well as for the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Oral Health Therapy. Since his graduation in 2008 with a Bachelor of Oral Health, University of Melbourne, he has dedicated his career to improving oral health of the local communities through research and leadership positions. After graduation in 2008 and until 2013, he worked in full-time clinical practice in a Victorian community health service. Between 2012 to 2014, he collaborated with Melbourne Dental School and a dental practice-based research network to support a children’s dental program. During his honorary tenure at Deakin Health Economics from 2016 to 2022, he received several grants supporting a critical body of empirical research with translational implications to Victorian public oral health policy and practice. He has published 26 articles, for which he is the primary author for most of the papers. The Awards Committee are delighted to present this award to Tan!
Feby Savira
45 & Up Cardiovascular Research Grant
Feby has been awarded the 45 & Up Cardiovascular Research Grant titled: Investigating Telehealth Use in Vulnerable Populations At Risk of Cardiovascular Disease. Check out the video below!
Utsana Tonmukayakul
Utsana is a Chief Investigator on an NHMRC partnership project awarded nearly $1.5 million to improve dental care access for Indigenous children in Remote Communities. Building on previous successful research, this project will utilise the skills of Aboriginal Health Workers and Teledentistry to manage and prevent dental decay. Utsana will collaborate with researchers, clinicians, and Indigenous representatives from Western Australia, as well as experts from the Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health. Supported by the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation and the WA Health Department, the initiative aims to provide accessible and sustainable dental care, enhancing oral health and reducing long-term health disparities for these children.
Ha Le
Ha has been awarded the annual Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder Australian Professional Associate (AADPA) Florence Levy Emerging Researcher Award! The award recognises the outstanding contribution of Australian researchers/clinician-scientists to ADHD research.
