Dr Matt Beard
Matt has published a number of papers and books on a variety of topics including moral injury and post-traumatic stress disorder, cyberwar, torture and medical ethics.
He appears regularly in print, radio and TV discussing ethical issues from vampires to anti-vaccination and Ashley Madison, including in The Guardian, ABC, Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and The Daily Telegraph.
Matt is also a columnist with The Conversation.
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ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Dental habits of Australian families laid bare with survey showing one in five kids forgoing twice-daily brushing
Most Australian parents are unaware of when to take their children to the dentist for the first time and many underestimate the importance of caring for baby teeth, a new survey has found. The Australian Dental Association (ADA) poll of 25,000 adults has laid bare the dental habits of Australian families, finding one in five children only clean their teeth once a day. It found 87 per cent of parents are aware fruit juice leads to tooth decay, yet 27 per cent of children still drink it every day. Almost four in 10 children also have soft drink two to five times a week. While 68 per cent of children brush twice a day, the survey revealed more than three-quarters fail to floss themselves — or have adults do it for them. That's despite dentists recommending daily flossing for children from when they have two or more baby teeth side by side. Tasmanian-based ADA president Chris Sanzaro said one in three children visited a dentist for the first time when they were experiencing problems with their teeth. "That's later than it really should be," Dr Sanzaro said. "We should be getting children into the dentist before the age of one or when their first tooth erupts into the mouth, whichever happens first. "To some people that may seem a bit young. But it helps introduce the infant to the sights, sounds and sensations of the dentist, as well as helping to spot any issues early." The survey found four in 10 Australian adults believe children having their first dental visit at two years old is acceptable, while 20 per cent think it should be at age three and 10 per cent believe age four or older is appropriate. Only 25 per cent thought age one or younger is the best option. Dr Sanzaro said the survey, conducted in November and December 2024, highlighted a lack of parental understanding of the importance of baby teeth. "They're there not only to allow them to smile and chew and function effectively, but they're also space holders for adult teeth," he told the ABC. "When we get a hole into a baby tooth and it expands to the point where we can't save the tooth anymore, it needs extraction. "Once that tooth's out, that space can close up and it can cause more crowding in the adult teeth and lead to the need for orthodontic treatment later on." Three-quarters of the women surveyed failed to have a dental check-up before conception, despite the link between poor oral health in pregnancy and low birth weight and pre-term babies. Paige O'Brien's six-year-old daughter Charlotte had five stainless steel crowns fitted to her back molars last year after complaining of a "sharp tooth". "She had actually quite a bit of decay and cavities in her teeth," Ms O'Brien said. "I was definitely surprised to see how much had sort of developed, being that she was so young." Ms O'Brien said while Charlotte's teeth were brushed in the morning, they only cleaned them "every now and then" at night. Charlotte, who sees a dentist in Albury, NSW, was drinking fruit juice often after a doctor recommended it for her as a toddler with bad symptoms of constipation. "We just stuck with it, she liked it, and it tasted good, so we just kept on with the juice and that created some problems," Ms O'Brien said. Armed with more knowledge, Charlotte's dental routine is now much more extensive. "The more we can do to help her, the better," Ms O'Brien said. She was able to access the federal government's Child Dental Benefits Schedule to help pay for Charlotte's treatment, which allows parents to claim up to $1,132 for each eligible child over two consecutive calendar years. Queensland Children's Hospital dentist Gregory Ooi said he frequently treated children with dental caries, the medical term for tooth decay, particularly those from lower socio-economic areas. "It's a very common chronic health disease in children and adults — probably the most common," the specialist paediatric said. "I certainly don't think it's improving. "It doesn't feel like we're making big inroads. It costs the public system and private system … millions and millions of dollars a year for what's largely preventable disease." Dr Ooi said dental decay was caused by plaque, a sticky film of bacteria on teeth, that was not effectively being removed. "Generally speaking, if a person is to have sugar more than four times a day and not clean the plaque off effectively, they will usually get some sort of decay on their teeth," the Brisbane-based dentist said. The survey was mostly conducted as online interviews but 1,500 Australians aged more than 65 without internet access were surveyed on the telephone. Phone and online surveys were offered in languages including Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hindi, and Punjabi in addition to English.
The Advertiser
a day ago
- The Advertiser
A smile, though endometriosis is no laughing matter
Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN. Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN. Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN. Cara Walker was all smiles when she met Anthony Albanese, but as a woman living with endometriosis, she knows the strain that comes with managing a chronic condition. Labor is preparing to introduce legislation to parliament this week which will cap the cost of prescriptions on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to $25 from $31.60 from 2026. Ahead of the bill being presented to the lower house, the prime minister and Health Minister Mark Butler on Tuesday hosted a group of women impacted by endometriosis to discuss the changes. Endometriosis is a disease which tissue grows outside of the uterus, often causing severe pain. Labor amended and made new listings for contraception, endometriosis and IVF on the PBS ahead of the federal election campaign this year. Ms Walker told Mr Albanese chopping and changing between medications to manage chronic conditions quickly added up and was a hit to the hip pocket. "For people who don't have chronic conditions, all of a sudden they could get a cancer diagnosis, something could happen, and that puts a lot of strain on families, so that helps ease that strain, and every little bit counts," she said. Labor made health a centrepiece of its election campaign, pledging $8.5 billion to strengthen Medicare in a bid to make nine out of 10 visits to the GP free by 2030. Pressed during Question Time about bulk billing rates, Mr Albanese pulled out a Medicare card, as he had often done on the campaign trail. "The timeline hasn't changed, the investment is unchanged, the modelling is the same," the prime minister said. Mr Butler also clarified the figures around expected uptake of an expanded bulk billing incentive following criticism rates would take years to improve. But the health minister defended the government's modelling which expects fully bulk-billed practices to rise from about a quarter to three. Opposition health spokeswoman Anne Ruston said people going to the doctor were paying out of pocket costs higher than what they had ever been. "Right the way through the election campaign, the prime minister waving around his Medicare card and telling Australians and I quote, 'All you'll need is your Medicare card, not your credit card,' was actually misleading the Australian public about the reality that is currently our health care system at the moment," she told ABC's RN.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Concerning daycare images show children with their mouths taped shut in yoga exercise
A Sydney daycare centre has received a warning from the NSW Department of Education after concerning images emerged of children with their mouths covered with tape. The toddlers at Heritage House in Wahroonga, on Sydney's north shore, were participating in a breathing exercise as part of a yoga session last year. No injuries were reported from the exercise which was meant to be relaxing, but the Department launched an investigation into the matter after concerns were raised by a parent. 'While no children were harmed in this incident, it was an inappropriate activity that should not have taken place in an early learning centre,' a spokesperson from the NSW Early Childhood Education and Care Regulatory Authority told 'A thorough investigation was immediately conducted and a compliance action issued to the approved provider, which remains on their record.'  An external visitor was not running the yoga session, and the centre provided evidence to the Department that the mouth taping exercise has since been discontinued.  In a statement, Heritage House told the Sydney Morning Herald: 'It was a well-intentioned activity led by one of our educators, a yoga instructor.' 'We accept that the Department issued a warning and as a result we took steps to ensure that the activity was not repeated.' Photos of the activity were shared on the centre's parents app alongside a caption where an educator described the activity as 'unique'. 'The children gathered for a unique lesson combining breathwork, gentle yoga, and the tape-mouth technique. Guided to focus on nasal breathing, they playfully mimicked animals in yoga poses, learning to breathe deeply and calmly through their noses, fostering early mindfulness,' they wrote, according to SMH. A number of parents whose children attend the daycare threw their support behind the centre and its educators on Tuesday. One parent told 7News: 'They've always been very careful about the kids, their growth, their education, everything.' Another said: 'People are friendly, they seem engaged, kids are happy here.' Mouth taping, specifically for adults prone to mouth breathing while sleeping, has become a recent trend on TikTok but concerns have been raised about the dangers of restricting airflow.
