Dental advocates are pointing to the rising popularity of dental tourism as a “damning reflection” of New Zealand’s current approach to oral healthcare.
“We know that many people are getting extractions or even resorting to DIY dentistry instead of receiving the dental treatments they need, because the cost is just too high,” says Dental for All campaigner, Jasmine Taankink (Ngā Mahanga-a-Tairi). “While dental tourism has provided a more affordable option, it shouldn’t be necessary.”
“It is really alarming and a damning reflection of the privatised model of oral healthcare that the best option that some people are left with is to go overseas,” says Dental for All campaigner, Hana Pilkinton-Ching.
In New Zealand, oral healthcare is publicly funded for children up to the age of 18, but not for adults. 43% of adults have unmet need for oral healthcare due to cost, as well as 53% of Māori and 56% of Pasifika adults, according to the 2024/45 NZ Health Survey.
A new policy report released by Dental for All last Thursday, ‘Fixing Oral Healthcare in Aotearoa New Zealand: A Costed Policy Plan for Delivering Dental for All’, outlines a detailed proposal to bring oral healthcare for adults into the public healthcare system. This follows recent polling by Talbot Mills, released in March this year, which showed that 83% of people in New Zealand support the move.
The report proposes a network of over 700 community clinics to provide free oral healthcare universally to adults across the country, as well as investing in workforce development and Māori oral health, among other recommendations. The policy has been costed by independent economists. Notably, these costings fall well below the costs of the current model due to the negative impacts of unmet need for oral healthcare on productivity and quality of life.
“Our research shows that we have the resourcing, workforce, and infrastructure needed to deliver universal dental care in Aotearoa. It is unacceptable for politicians to continue to ignore this gap in the public health system, forcing people to take matters into their own hands, when a different approach is workable and would benefit everyone.”
“We should all be able to access the oral healthcare that we need, right here in Aotearoa. It’s time to bring the mouth back into the body, and into the public health system,” says Taankink.
An earlier report released by Dental for All in 2025 shares ten human stories of struggle with oral healthcare. One person interviewed for this report, ‘Mac’, delayed necessary dental treatment due to the cost, and waited for a planned trip overseas to get a root canal done. He experienced further pain and complications due to the delay in accessing care. Mac described his experience as “a series of dental woes”. The greatest barrier he faced to accessing the care he needed in New Zealand was the high cost of private dental care. He also described the poor availability of services in his rural home town, and the shame and stigma associated with not being able to afford dental care. Mac explained that he is now determined to look after his oral health and keep his remaining teeth, however shared that “it still feels like only rich people get to have good quality teeth.”
