The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) survey discovered that around 80 percent of people believe that they have good oral health. However, about one in five rate their oral health as poor.

"About 30 percent of Australians report that they delayed seeking care due to costs and about 20 percent of people report that they didn't have recommended dental care because of the cost of care" said AIHW spokeswoman Dr Jane Harford.

Dr Harford adds that there is an important connection between socioeconomic factors and poor oral health. ‘The largest difference was in the 25 to 44 year age group, in which 25% of those without tertiary education rated their oral health as poor, compared with 14% of those with at least some tertiary education’ she said.

She stated that poor self-reported oral health has a major correlation with lower levels of education along with insufficient dental insurance. “Those who live in rented homes face difficulties paying $150 dental bill, which is about the cost of a checkup and a scale and clean and x-rays" she said.

“The report shows that moderate and severe periodontitis was found in nearly one-quarter of Australian adults aged 18 years and older. Periodontitis is strongly related to age and also household income. After adjusting for age and sex, the prevalence of periodontitis is almost twice as great in lower income than higher income households,’ Dr Harford added.