Dental Poverty vs Dental Privilege: An AFL Matter?

Is dental poverty soon to be the AFL’s next poster issue? When AFL player Josh Rachele good-humouredly declared on public radio that Port fans had missing teeth, a whirlwind of controversy erupted in Adelaide which even made the media here in Diggers Rest – but it was great publicity for their forthcoming game.

The Australian Football League, colloquially known as the AFL, is a much-celebrated vanguard for the skilfulness of the players, the complexity of the rules, and also in recent times, the embracing of social issues such as First Nations issues, gender-based violence, racism, marriage equality, and their Mental Fitness Charter. Apart from racism, the AFL also bans abuse based on themes like religion, country of origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and body shape. It is a leading society-responsive sporting establishment and yet, something has slipped through the cracks – and they’re tooth cracks in a way – the AFL has not yet “cracked down” on dental abuse – the stirring of people from poorer economic backgrounds due to the myth of them having less teeth, or no teeth.

Ironically, it’s two of the AFL’s most powerful and wealthy clubs which are the targets of this dental superiority affectation – Collingwood and across our western border, Port Adelaide. Both hail from working class suburbs and while their players and administrators are wealthy beyond belief, their supporters are often ridiculed as people who cannot afford dentistry at any level, and therefore who are perceived as suffering from edentulism – the absence of teeth.

A social storm erupted over in Adelaide, when the Adelaide Crows star Josh Rachele took it upon himself to hype up a Port Adelaide contest ahead of time.

Bear in mind that the Adelaide Football Club is indeed viewed, in South Australia at least, as a bastion of AFL privilege, even though many or even most of its supporters are working class. The “chardonnay set” is what they call Adelaide supporters, though whoever drinks chardonnay nowadays may be the source of mirth when it comes to the wine palates of Melburnians. Here in sophisticated Diggers Rest, locals prefer to drink pinot grigio or gris, or sauvignon blanc, or semillon – none are good for your teeth, water is still better.

Perception is everything, they say, and so it’s no surprise that in the bread and circuses media world we all inhabit, a city which has just two AFL clubs is perpetually wound up with an artificial “us verses them” collective consciousness which bears little resemblance to any reality. We think, therefore we are.

In the lead up to the clash, Rachele stirred the pot when he said on Adelaide’s FIVEAA: “I did mention before that the Port supporters don’t have many teeth.

“I shouldn’t have said that … I know it’s a Port home game.”

Asked if he expected a hostile reception, Rachele said he didn’t care if they booed him, adding “I love it”.

So when he booted a stunning goal shortly before half time, without missing a beat the 21-year-old made a beeline for a group of Port fans, pointing to his teeth after his midweek sledge.

Naturally enough Rachel’s teeth are immaculate, and what he was initially showing them was his expensive AFL-sanctioned mouthguard, but then he pulled it off to show his pearly whites – and truly then the game was on, with Port fans were in the full voice of protest for the rest of the game. Josh Rachele was booed and howled at whenever he went within cooee of the ball, and media commentators joined in the frenzy, stoking the fires of public outrage at every opportunity.

But while the Crows led at half-time, the Power showed just why they’ve locked in a top four spot, powering home for the 22-point victory.

Yet is it always poverty which causes people to have less teeth, or toothlessness?

For the answer to that we need to look into some of the scientific terminology for toothlessness, or having no teeth, whereupon we find such terms as:

Tooth agenesis:

Tooth agenesis is a condition in which teeth are missing. It’s often associated with a group of conditions affecting the development or function of the teeth, hair, nails and sweat glands called ectodermal dysplasias.

Anodontia:

Anodontia is a genetic disorder defined as the absence of all teeth. It usually occurs as part of a syndrome that includes other abnormalities. Also rare but more common than anodontia are hypodontia and oligodontia.

Hypodontia:

Hypodontia is genetic in origin and usually involves the absence of from 1 to 5 teeth.

Oligodontia:

Oligodontia is genetic as well and is the term used to describe a condition in which six or more teeth are missing.

Edentulism:

Edentulism is the state of being edentulous, or without natural teeth. Complete edentulism is an oral cavity without any teeth. Edentulism is one of the public health burdens for elderly people and effects clearly the practice of primary care. Edentulism is a devastating and irreversible condition and is described as the “final marker of disease burden for oral health”.

As we can see, often a lack of teeth is not a poverty problem – but it can be covered up by wealthier people via the use of dental implants or simply dentures – these are certainly not readily available to low-income families.

Meanwhile across our northern border in New South Wales, like here in Victoria, low-income families continue to struggle to access dental services, as reported in The Guardian way back in 2016, prompting warnings that bad teeth have become a “badge of poverty”.

The NSW Council of Social Service (Ncoss) surveyed 417 people either in or near poverty, focusing particularly on those on Newstart, the age pension, parenting payments, or youth allowance.

About 40% said they could not afford to see a dentist. It has prompted Ncoss to call on the NSW government to invest $25m into oral health services to improve access and reduce inequality.

Across all lines of the health industry there is widespread support for universal health care from GPs to nurses and beyond.

‘Poor dental care can lead to poor nutrition, cardiovascular disease and affect a person’s wellbeing, e.g. the ability to get a job and preserving their self-esteem,’ the submission states.

‘Significant financial barriers to accessing dental care remain in Australia. Socioeconomically vulnerable patients are at higher risk of oral disease and people on low incomes are more likely to delay dental visits and less likely to receive appropriate dental care.’

Adequate dentition is generally essential for wellbeing and life quality, so having no teeth is, despite the AFL’s provocative hilarity, in reality no laughing matter. Keep in mind there are dental payment plans available to help people on a budget manage their way through what at times can be emergency dental situations.

Note: All content and media on the  Diggers Rest Dental House website and social media channels are created and published online for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice.