Matt Hopcraft
@matthopcraft.bsky.social
A/Prof public health dentistry @unimelbMDS 🦷 | @VicHealth Champion | @MasterChefAU 2015 Top 6 👨🍳 @ 2025 Back to Win| #dental 🇦🇺 #auspol
A cook along like you've never seen before 👀 #MasterChefAU: Back To Win | 7.30 Tonight on @Channel10AU and 10 Play
So proud of this Green Team, playing up two amazing dishes. Great leadership from Callum and everyone played their part Nervous for what @GordonRamsay has in store for us tomorrow 😬 #MasterChefAU
Income inequality in Australia is increasing, putting further pressure on many Australians already struggling to access dental care. matthopcraft.substack.com/p/inequality...
Inequality Rising
Growing inequality is starting to bite on household budgets, making it more difficult for many Australians to access necessary dental care.
matthopcraft.substack.com
Why is it so hard to find a dentist in the bush? And how much is that a factor that contributes to the higher burden of disease we see in regional and rural communities? Find out more on this latest episode of the Dental As Anything podcast. matthopcraft.substack.com/p/why-is-it-...
Why is it so hard to find a dentist in the bush?
And how much is that a factor that contributes to the higher burden of disease we see in regional and rural communities?
matthopcraft.substack.com
A recent article highlighted the use of software tools to detect fraudulent Medicare claims by a medical practitioner. Will AI algorithms help to inform clinical practice guidelines and fight against the possibility of fraud and over-servicing? matthopcraft.substack.com/p/using-ai-t...
Using AI to detect health fraud?
Will artificial intelligence algorithms help to inform clinical practice guidelines and fight against the possibility of fraud and over-servicing?
matthopcraft.substack.com
A recent @GuardianAus series shone a light on oral health inequalities. It's time for the dental profession to step up advocacy efforts as the election campaign heats up. It's important we take this opportunity to put oral health on the ballot paper. 🗳️🦷 matthopcraft.substack.com/p/media-focu...
Media focus on oral health
A recent series of news articles has shone a light on oral health inequalities in Australia. It's time for the dental profession to step up their advocacy efforts.
matthopcraft.substack.com
My op-ed today as part of a special series on oral health. ‘Dental care in Australia is at a crossroad. There is an opportunity to take bold action to correct the mistakes of the past and create an equitable dental system that ensures all Australians … www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Poor oral health is a strong indicator of disadvantage in Australia. So why aren’t we doing anything about it?
We could fund a universal public dental care system if we really cared about improving oral health
theguardian.com
Patients bear the brunt of dentist fees. But of the $1.3bn the federal government spends on the nation’s teeth, more than half goes to subsidising the uptake of private health insurance. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
How Australia’s ‘unfair’ dental system – and the way $1.3bn is spent – is driving inequality and leaving millions of people behind
Half of all government spending on dental care goes to private insurance rebates – meaning those without often skip treatment until things get worse
theguardian.com
Dental As Anything is taking a short break - thanks for reading and listening, and I'm looking forward to reconnecting in 2025. matthopcraft.substack.com/p/thats-a-wrap
That's a wrap ...
From superannuation and water fluoridation to AI and tongue ties, Dental As Anything has had you covered for the big issues in dentistry for 2024.
matthopcraft.substack.com
Sportsbet can’t even abide by the rules it sets itself. Why is the PM so keen to allow this? Labor & Coalition MIA when it comes to banning gambling advertising to protect young people. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...
Australian children seeing gambling ads via Sportsbet filter on instant messaging app Snapchat
Exclusive: Filters, including one that turns a person into a horse, include Sportsbet logos and direct 18+ users to open a gambling account
theguardian.com
In this episode of the Dental As Anything podcast I speak to Jacinta Vu about her work with Healing Smiles providing pro bono dental treatment to restore the smiles of survivors of domestic violence. Jacinta is the 2025 WA Local Hero - Aust of the Year 🇦🇺 matthopcraft.substack.com/p/healing-sm...
Healing Smiles
Healing Smiles is a group of volunteer dentists who provide pro bono dental treatment to help restore the smiles of survivors of domestic violence.
matthopcraft.substack.com
Are you an Australian dental practitioner? Our research team is interested in hearing from you about access to dental care. We want to make sure that your opinions are considered too. The questionnaire will only take 10-15 minutes to complete. q.surveys.unimelb.edu.au/jfe/form/SV_...
🚨 $710 Billion: Economic Burden of Oral Diseases 🚨 Oral diseases cost the world a shocking $710 billion annually. As highlighted by WHO and the World Economic Forum, this figure underscores the urgent need for decisive policy action. See our article 👉 shorturl.at/t2KPF
I’ve created a Dental Starter pack to help build the community here - let me know if you want me to add your name go.bsky.app/2453vDE
Good piece on water fluoridation in Australia 🇦🇺 www.sbs.com.au/news/article...
Public health achievement? 'Industrial waste'? Behind the fluoride debate
As the debate on fluoridated water rages in the US, it's a good time to revisit the reason why not all Australians have access to this key mineral that can prevent dental problems.
sbs.com.au
Great piece by former AMA President Steve Robson today on RFK Jr and the implications for Australia, including my thoughts on water fluoridation and the erosion of trust in science. www.theaustralian.com.au/health/if-th...
theaustralian.com.au
🎉 My latest for the BDJ looks at how we balance patient autonomy with professional judgement when patients have ‘done their research’ and are rejecting conventional care. ‘Tightrope walking’ is online now: www.nature.com/articles/s41... #dentistry #ethics
Tightrope walking - British Dental Journal
British Dental Journal - Tightrope walking
nature.com
Aspects of oral health in Australia are going backwards & a lack of national oral health leadership is hampering efforts to address inequities in access to dental care leading to poorer oral health outcomes. Until this changes, nothing will change. matthopcraft.substack.com/p/is-the-lac...
Is the lack of oral health leadership hampering efforts to improve oral health?
There are many aspects of oral health in Australia that are going backwards, and a lack of national leadership is responsible.
matthopcraft.substack.com
There is a Global Oral Health meeting on right now, but apparently Australia has not sent anyone - because we don’t have a Chief Dental Officer. No national leadership = no change = poorer outcomes This needs to change.
Australian dentists write around 70,000 prescriptions for antibiotics each month. But how many of those prescriptions are actually necessary, and are we contributing to antimicrobial resistance. I speak to dentist & pharmacist Dr Leanne Teoh. #WAAW2024 matthopcraft.substack.com/p/antimicrob...
Antimicrobial resistance - a global health problem
Is dental prescribing helping or harming patients? Antimicrobial resistance has been described as one of the greatest threats to human and animal health, as well as to food and agriculture.
matthopcraft.substack.com
Dental care 'critical' amid mouth cancer increase “Most people are presenting at stage 3 and stage 4… treatment is so much more difficult and survival rates much more problematic at those late stages” www.bbc.co.uk/news/article... #dentistry #publichealth
Mouth cancer cases on the rise in Wales, dentists warn
Bryan Webber says dentists are trained on the signs of mouth cancer, but people must seek help early.
bbc.co.uk
I’ve created a Dental Starter pack to help build the community here - let me know if you want me to add your name go.bsky.app/2453vDE
RFK Jr Taking the fluoride out of water and promoting sugary acidic drinks. What could possibly go wrong … #dental 🦷
Really thought provoking book on inequality 💭 We like to think of Australia as egalitarian but inequality is increasing & we see that in oral health more than anywhere. Tackling dental inequality is key & hopefully something we will see in the next government 🦷
For anyone interested in applying social and behavioural sciences to #dentistry and #oralhealth check out our Special Issue in Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology ꧁༒☬𝙰𝚍𝚟𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝙱𝚎𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚘𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚕 𝚂𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝙿𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚘𝚝𝚎 𝙾𝚛𝚊𝚕 𝙷𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚝𝚑☬༒꧂ Link onlinelibrary.wiley.com/toc/16000528/2
