A comparison of two models of dental care for Aboriginal communities in New South Wales

Abstract

Aboriginal people, and particularly those in rural areas, continue to suffer very high levels of dental disease despite significant reductions in the wider Australian population in the past 30years. Until recently, there has been a shortage of oral health clinicians and the majority have provided care in major cities. The NSW Government funded various models of care for rural and regional areas and vulnerable population groups including Aboriginal people. This study utilizes a comparative retrospective analysis to compare two models of oral health care for Aboriginal people including those living in rural NSW to inform future policy decisions. Two models (Model A - Fly in Fly out and Model B - Collective impact) of public oral health care for Aboriginal patients in NSW were examined using publicly available descriptive information. Two years of funding and Dental Weighted Activity Units (DWAUs) data were analysed for the two different models and regression analysis was used to compare the trends of monthly time series of DWAUs. Based on the standardized national weighted pricing for public dentistry, model B offers significantly more services for less financial resources.