Anderton Jim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Anderton Jim: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:673;Page:19508] 
4. 
Hon JIM ANDERTON (Leader—Progressive) 
 to the  
Associate Minister of Health 
: Does he agree that in the year ended 30 June 2008 in excess of 2600 children under the age of five years were admitted to public hospitals for dental health procedures and how many of these young children were treated under a general anaesthetic? 
Hon PETER DUNNE (Associate Minister of Health) 
: 
 Yes but the information provided by district health boards does not contain the numbers treated under general anaesthetic. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Does he believe it is acceptable that thousands of children under 5 years of age are being admitted to hospital each year for dental health procedures including tooth extraction under either a general or a local anaesthetic; if not what steps is the Government taking to reduce this unacceptable situation including an inquiry into the fluoridation of our water supplies as a nationwide health measure? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: Obviously the oral health care of all ages of young people is important and I would rather that we had numbers presenting to public hospitals for treatment than numbers not presenting in the first place. I should tell the member that increasing preschool enrolments is a priority. In fact in the 2008 year around 43 percent of all preschool children were enrolled by the end of the calendar year 2009 that figure was 49 percent and by the end of this year it is expected to be 64 percent. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Does the Minister believe there is a need for a paradigm shift in the way parents are helped to look after their children’s teeth; if so will he support the introduction of an improved education programme from preschool to primary school? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: The paradigm shift the member refers to is occurring under current oral health policy which is seeing the roll-out of a whole new network of community oral health facilities some $116 million in capital funding and $36 million a year in operating funding. We are now starting to see a system being put in place where more children will get access to the care they need and we are encouraging their parents and whanau to be part of that treatment programme. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Can the Minister confirm that although pregnant women can access free maternity care during pregnancy at birth and after their pregnancy they cannot access free dental care and does he support extending free dental care to this key sector of our population? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: I am not in a position to confirm that particular line of argument but I can say that the range of programmes now being rolled out will provide for much greater community involvement in the future because we will have a much better network in place. Already we are starting to see some positive results emerging from that. 
Hon Jim Anderton 
: Does the Minister acknowledge that many older people cannot afford dental health care; if so does he believe that the mobile dental clinics presently being rolled out throughout the country could be used to treat the elderly? 
Hon PETER DUNNE 
: We have traversed the territory from preschool now to the elderly. In principle I agree with the proposition the member advances. One of the things we have been talking to district health boards about is precisely how not only the mobile units but also the new community oral health facilities can be used more effectively not just for a particular segment of the year as has been the case previously.