Primary oral health service provision in Aboriginal Medical Services-based dental clinics in Western Australia

2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Estie Kruger ◽  
Irosha Perera ◽  
Marc Tennant
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Rural And Remote ◽  
Health Service Provision ◽  
Dental Clinics ◽  
Aboriginal Populations

Australians living in rural and remote areas have poorer access to dental care. This situation is attributed to workforce shortages, limited facilities and large distances to care centres. Against this backdrop, rural and remote Indigenous (Aboriginal) communities in Western Australia seem to be more disadvantaged because evidence suggests they have poorer oral health than non-Indigenous people. Hence, provision of dental care for Aboriginal populations in culturally appropriate settings in rural and remote Western Australia is an important public health issue. The aim of this research was to compare services between the Aboriginal Medical Services (AMS)-based clinics and a typical rural community clinic. A retrospective analysis of patient demographics and clinical treatment data was undertaken among patients who attended the dental clinics over a period of 6 years from 1999 to 2004. The majority of patients who received dental care at AMS dental clinics were Aboriginal (95.3%), compared with 8% at the non-AMS clinic. The rate of emergency at the non-AMS clinic was 33.5%, compared with 79.2% at the AMS clinics. The present study confirmed that more Indigenous patients were treated in AMS dental clinics and the mix of dental care provided was dominated by emergency care and oral surgery. This indicated a higher burden of oral disease and late utilisation of dental care services (more focus on tooth extraction) among rural and remote Indigenous people in Western Australia.

scholarly journals The role of tobacco use on dental care and oral disease severity within community dental clinics in Japan

2013 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miki Ojima ◽  
Takashi Hanioka ◽  
Kaoru Shimada ◽  
Satoru Haresaku ◽  
Mito Yamamoto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Severity ◽  
Tobacco Use ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Dental Clinics

The Oral Health Needs of Older People in General Medical Practice: An Overview

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (10) ◽  
pp. 614-619
Author(s):  
Arijit Ray-Chaudhuri ◽  
Ryan C. Olley ◽  
Rupert S. Austin ◽  
Jennifer E. Gallagher
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Older People ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Older Patients ◽  
Health Management ◽  
Health Needs ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Natural Teeth ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Insight Into

As the UK population ages and older people retain their natural teeth for longer, the complexity of the oral health needs in older people is becoming more challenging. Older patients are often registered with a GP and will increasingly be likely to require dental care. Older people in particular may benefit from dental care but may not have a dentist or perceive any risk of oral disease. This article therefore provides practical insight into the oral health management of older people to assist in addressing their oral health needs.

scholarly journals Flying blind: trying to find solutions to Indigenous oral health

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 570 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M. de Silva ◽  
Jacqueline Martin-Kerry ◽  
Alexandra Geale ◽  
Deborah Cole
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Hospital Admissions ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Caries Experience ◽  
Published Evidence ◽  
Health Differences ◽  
Indigenous Children

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify all published evidence about oral health in Indigenous children in Australia and to determine trends in Indigenous oral health over time. Methods PubMed was used to search for published peer-reviewed articles that reported caries (decay) prevalence rates and/or caries experience (based on caries indices) in Indigenous children. Studies included in the analysis needed to report clinical oral health data (not self-reported dental experiences), and articles were excluded if they reported caries in only a select, specific or targeted sample (e.g. only children undergoing hospital admissions for dental conditions). Results The review identified 32 studies that met the inclusion criteria. These studies reported data from the Northern Territory (n = 14), Western Australia (n = 7), South Australia (n = 7), Queensland (n = 7), New South Wales (n = 1), Australian Capital Territory (n = 1) and Tasmania (n = 1). Of the studies, 47% were in rural locations, 9% were in urban locations and 44% were in both rural and urban locations. Data are limited and predominantly for Indigenous children living in rural locations, and there are no published studies on caries in Indigenous children living in Victoria. Conclusions The present study documents the published prevalence and severity of caries in Indigenous children living in Australia and highlights that limited oral health data are available for this priority population. Although risk factors for oral disease are well known, most of the studies did not analyse the link between these factors and oral disease present. There is also inconsistency in how caries is reported in terms of age and caries criteria used. We cannot rely on the available data to inform the development of policies and programs to address the oral health differences in Indigenous populations living contemporary lives in metropolitan areas. What is known about the topic? Many studies report that Indigenous people have poorer general health in Australia compared with non-Indigenous people. What does this paper add? This paper documents the available published prevalence and experience of caries for Indigenous children in Australia. It demonstrates significant limitations in the data, including no Victorian data, inconsistency with reporting methods and most data being for Indigenous children who are living in rural locations. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for practitioners to have access to oral health data for Indigenous children in Australia. However, the present study highlights significant knowledge gaps for this population group and identifies ways to collect data in future studies to enable more meaningful comparisons and policy development.

scholarly journals Oral health of pre-school children in rural and remote Western Australia

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fahd Dogar ◽  
Estie Kruger ◽  
kate dyson ◽  
Marc Tennant
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
School Children ◽  
Rural And Remote

scholarly journals Caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults in Australia: a case of limited and non-contemporary data

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea M. de Silva ◽  
Jacqueline M. Martin-Kerry ◽  
Katherine McKee ◽  
Deborah Cole
Keyword(s):  
Oral Health ◽  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Significant Proportion ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Health Data ◽  
Indigenous Populations ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Indigenous Australians

Objective The aim of the present study was to identify all evidence about the prevalence and severity of clinically measured caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals and to summarise trends over time. In addition, we examined whether the studies investigated associations between putative risk factors and levels of caries and periodontal disease. Methods PubMed was searched in September 2014, with no date limitations, for published peer-reviewed articles reporting the prevalence rates and/or severity of caries and periodontal disease in Indigenous adults living in Australia. Articles were excluded if measurement was not based on clinical assessment and if oral disease was reported only in a specific or targeted sample, and not the general population. Results The search identified 18 papers (reporting on 10 primary studies) that met the inclusion criteria. The studies published clinical data about dental caries and/or periodontal disease in Australian Indigenous adults. The studies reported on oral health for Indigenous adults living in rural (40%), urban (10%) and both urban and rural (50%) locations. Included studies showed that virtually all Indigenous adults living in rural locations had periodontal disease. The data also showed caries prevalence ranged from 46% to 93%. Although 10 studies were identified, the peer-reviewed literature was extremely limited and no published studies were identified that provided statistics for a significant proportion of Australia (Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland or the Australian Capital Territory). There were also inconsistencies in how the data were reported between studies, making comparisons difficult. Conclusions This review highlights a lack of robust and contemporary data to inform the development of policies and programs to address the disparities in oral health in Indigenous populations living in many parts of Australia. What is known about the topic? Many studies report that Indigenous people in Australia have poorer general health compared with non-Indigenous people. What does this paper add? This paper documents the available caries and periodontal disease prevalence and experience for Indigenous adults in Australia published in peer-reviewed journals. It demonstrates significant limitations in the data, including no data in several large Australian jurisdictions, inconsistency with reporting methods and most data available being for Indigenous adults living in rural locations. Therefore, the oral health data available in the peer-reviewed literature do not reflect the situation of all Indigenous people living in Australia. What are the implications for practitioners? It is important for oral health practitioners to have access to current and relevant statistics on the oral health of Indigenous Australians. However, we have highlighted significant evidence gaps for this population group within the peer-reviewed literature and identified the limitations of the available data upon which decisions are currently being made. This paper also identifies ways to capture and report oral health data in the future to enable more meaningful comparisons and relevance for use in policy development.

scholarly journals What is Behind the High Dental Costs in the U.S.

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Yanushevsky
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Preventive Dental Care ◽  
Cost Of Health Care ◽  
The World ◽  
The U.S

Healthcare is among the most important issues for Americans since the U.S. health care system is the most expensive in the world. Analyzing the U.S. rising cost of health care in the 21 century it is impossible not to see that the increase of dental prices exceeds significantly the growth of prices for many other medical services. Regular preventive dental care is essential for good oral health, but many persons don’t get the care they need. More people are unable to afford dental care than other types of health care. Such situation with dental health is inadmissible.

scholarly journals Needs-led human resource planning for Sierra Leone in support of oral health

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Swapnil Gajendra Ghotane ◽  
Patric Don-Davis ◽  
David Kamara ◽  
Paul R. Harper ◽  
Stephen J. Challacombe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Health Promotion ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Sierra Leone ◽  
Preventive Care ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Treatment Needs ◽  
Oral Health Promotion ◽  
Low Income Country

Abstract Background In Sierra Leone (SL), a low-income country in West Africa, dental care is very limited, largely private, and with services focused in the capital Freetown. There is no formal dental education. Ten dentists supported by a similar number of dental care professionals (DCPs) serve a population of over 7.5 million people. The objective of this research was to estimate needs-led requirements for dental care and human resources for oral health to inform capacity building, based on a national survey of oral health in SL. Methods A dedicated operational research (OR) decision tool was constructed in Microsoft Excel to support this project. First, total treatment needs were estimated from our national epidemiological survey data for three key ages (6, 12 and 15 years), collected using the ‘International Caries Classification and Management System (ICCMS)’ tool. Second, oral health needs were extrapolated to whole population levels for each year-group, based on census demographic data. Third, full time equivalent (FTE) workforce capacity needs were estimated for mid-level providers in the form of Dental Therapists (DTs) and non-dental personnel based on current oral disease management approaches and clinical timings for treatment procedures. Fourth, informed by an expert panel, three oral disease management scenarios were explored for the national population: (1) Conventional care (CC): comprising oral health promotion (including prevention), restorations and tooth extraction; (2) Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P and S6P): comprising oral health promotion (inc. prevention) and tooth extraction (D5 and D6 together, & at D6 level only); and (3) Prevention only (P): consisting of oral health promotion (inc. prevention). Fifth, the findings were extrapolated to the whole population based on demography, assuming similar levels of treatment need. Results To meet the needs of a single year-group of childrens’ needs, an average of 163 DTs (range: 133–188) would be required to deliver Conventional care (CC); 39 DTs (range: 30–45) to deliver basic Surgical and Preventive care (S6P); 54 DTs for more extended Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P) (range 38–68); and 27 DTs (range: 25–32) to deliver Prevention only (P). When scaled up to the total population, an estimated 6,147 DTs (range: 5,565–6,870) would be required to deliver Conventional care (CC); 1,413 DTs (range: 1255–1438 DTs) to deliver basic Surgical and Preventive care (S6P); 2,000 DTs (range 1590–2236) for more extended Surgical and Preventive care (S5&6P) (range 1590–2236); and 1,028 DTs to deliver Prevention only (P) (range: 1016–1046). Furthermore, if oral health promotion activities, including individualised prevention, could be delivered by non-dental personnel, then the remaining surgical care could be delivered by 385 DTs (range: 251–488) for the S6P scenario which was deemed as the minimum basic baseline service involving extracting all teeth with extensive caries into dentine. More realistically, 972 DTs (range: 586–1179) would be needed for the S5&6P scenario in which all teeth with distinctive and extensive caries into dentine are extracted. Conclusion The study demonstrates the huge dental workforce needs required to deliver even minimal oral health care to the Sierra Leone population. The gap between the current workforce and the oral health needs of the population is stark and requires urgent action. The study also demonstrates the potential for contemporary epidemiological tools to predict dental treatment needs and inform workforce capacity building in a low-income country, exploring a range of solutions involving mid-level providers and non-dental personnel.

Dental Health and Management for Children with Congenital Heart Disease

2010 ◽  
Vol os17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten FitzGerald ◽  
Pádraig Fleming ◽  
Orla Franklin
Keyword(s):  
Congenital Heart Disease ◽  
Heart Disease ◽  
Oral Health ◽  
Infective Endocarditis ◽  
Dental Care ◽  
Congenital Heart ◽  
Dental Health ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Systemic Effects ◽  
Increased Risk

Congenital heart disease (CHD) is one of the most common developmental anomalies. Children with CHD are at increased risk of developing oral disease, and are at increased risk from the systemic effects of oral disease. Recent changes in guidelines related to prophylaxis against infective endocarditis have highlighted the importance of establishing and maintaining oral health for this group of patients. The management of children with CHD can be complex and, unfortunately, many of these children do not receive the care they require. The challenges that these children pose are discussed, and suggestions are made for the appropriate management of these patients and the key role that all those working in primary dental care have to play.

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