Shocking waits for State-run disability dental service leaves special needs people going years without care

People with disabilities are waiting years for dental care due to a specialist State-run service having its capacity dramatically slashed, while a promised new one has not even started construction.

For people with disabilities, keeping their mouth open and sitting still in a dentist chair for an extended period of time can be hugely distressing and sometimes impossible to do, requiring them being put under a general anaesthetic for just a basic check.

So it was a huge blow for patients and their parents when the Special Needs Dental Clinic moved to Fremantle last year after its North Perth lease expired and capacity was cut to 25 per cent.

Their options now are to request a GP referral to a Fiona Stanley Hospital dentist specialising in special needs people or endure a years-long long wait to get into the greatly diminished clinic, while builders for a promised new one in Salter Point have not yet been locked in.

Julie Guilfoile, whose 27-year-old son Eamon had an eight year gap between seeing a dentist, said wait times were already long before the upheaval.

His was longer than most, she conceded, saying she was simply juggling too many balls to chase up on the phone every day.

Developmental Disability WA chief executive Mary Butterworth said that was the case for many parents of children with disabilities, who were frequently sleep deprived, had other kids to care for and were often doing so on their own amid “very high” relationship breakdown rates.

“Dental gets down on the queue when you’re just trying to survive and manage,” Ms Butterworth told The West Australian.

The system needed to be easier, with average waits of around 18 months in 2021 now extending to three years, she said.

“It was bad before and now it’s got worse.”

Ms Guilfoile said a check up was a major ordeal for her son, who could be sedated when he was younger but is now big and strong so needs a GA.

“Getting his teeth brushed is traumatic for him,” she said.

“People don’t understand how important oral health is. For our son, his oral health is important because if it’s poor, it can increase his risk of asphyxiation.”

A North Metropolitan Health Service spokesperson said the Special Needs Dental Clinic’s temporary relocation to Fremantle General Dental Clinic ensured it could remain operational while builders for the new Salter Point clinic were sought.

It was expected to have the same capacity as the North Perth facility, detailed design was complete and the Department of Finance was finalising the construction contract.

The spokesperson said patients requiring urgent care were being seen as soon as possible but conceded waitlist times had increased for those wanting a recall appointment during the pandemic.

“Eligible patients who feel their oral health care has declined whilst waiting for a recall appointment are advised to contact the Special Needs Dental Centre and discuss their situation,” they said.

Ms Butterworth said the Salter Point clinic was promised in 2021 to be complete within two years.

“They can’t keep blaming COVID,” she said.

Ms Guilfoile and other parents of special needs people have appealed for help to WA Liberal leader Libby Mettam, who said it was disappointing that plans for the critical new service were not being progressed as a matter of urgency.

“To close one facility with no firm plans in place to replace it beggars belief but points to this government’s ad hoc approach to health in this state,” WA’s shadow health minister told The West.

“These are patients with high-level needs and in a State as wealthy as WA, it’s disappointing to see another area of health go backwards under this Government’s watch.

“I urge the Health Minister to listen to the ordeal that these patients and families have had to endure as a result of the government’s lacklustre response to what should be a key health priority and ensure they are not left waiting years for the new facility to open.”

Another parent frustrated by the delays is Felicity Lindsay, whose 20-year-old son Kasper suffered a nightmare experience that started with a tooth ache after a long wait for care.

Ms Lindsay said she was “left with no choice” but to call an ambulance and have her big, strong son taken to emergency where he was sedated, placed in handcuffs, ended up being intubated and wound up in ICU after developing pneumonia – ultimately spending two months in hospital.

Judy Willock’s 34-year-old son Tim was suffering painful teeth cramming when he was 17 and ended up being held down by 11 staff because the plan for how to handle him wasn’t followed while the anaesthetist ran late – traumatising not just her son but also the staff.

“They’re not trained (for special needs patients) – they’re just doing their best and a lot is put on them,” Ms Willock said.

The NMHS spokesperson said new patients got an appointment for an assessment within eight weeks of application, and there were currently none on the waitlist.