With poor oral health the leading cause of potentially preventable hospitalisations in Tasmania, the support will allow the RFDS to increase services and address the disparity that exists between urban and remote communities. 

The RFDS has found people living and working in rural and remote areas are disproportionately affected by problems associated with poor oral health, largely because they have poorer access to services, while studies have shown the direct correlation between oral health and avoidable illness.

A 2011 study from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare showed 52 per cent of Tasmanian children aged five or six and 53.4 per cent of 12-year-olds experience dental decay.