Abstract
BackgroundRural residents have poorer oral health and more limited access to dental services than their city counterparts. In rural communities, health care professionals often work in an extended capacity due to the needs of the community and health workforce shortages in these areas. Improved links and greater collaboration between resident rural primary care and dental practitioners could help improve oral health service provision such that interventions are both timely, effective and lead to appropriate follow-up and referral. This study examined the impact oral health problems had on primary health care providers; how primary care networks could be more effectively utilised to improve the provision of oral health services to rural communities; and identified strategies that could be implemented to improve oral health.MethodsCase studies of 14 rural communities across three Australian states. Between 2013 and 2016, 105 primary and 12 dental care providers were recruited and interviewed. Qualitative data were analysed in Nvivo 10 using thematic analysis. Quantitative data were subject to descriptive analysis using SPSSv20.ResultsRural residents presented to primary care providers with a range of oral health problems from “everyday” to “10 per month”. Management by primary care providers commonly included short-term pain relief, antibiotics, and advice that the patient see a dentist. The communication between non-dental primary care providers and visiting or regional dental practitioners was limited. Participants described a range of strategies that could contribute to better oral health and oral health oral services in their communities.ConclusionsRural oral health could be improved by building oral health capacity of non-dental care providers; investing in oral health promotion and prevention activities; introducing more flexible service delivery practices to meet the dental needs of both public and private patients; and establishing more effective communication and referral pathways between rural primary and visiting/regional dental care providers.
Highlights
Rural residents have poorer oral health and more limited access to dental services than their city counterparts
The specific objectives were to (i) map oral health service practices in rural communities across resident primary care providers; (ii) examine the extent to which oral health problems impact on service provision by primary health care providers; and (iii) assess the extent to which primary care networks could be more effectively utilised to improve the provision of oral health services to rural communities
Published reports [2, 20] that described rural oral health from an individual, community and population perspective provided a key source of information and, to provide specialist input, the views of dental practitioners who had previously worked in some of the communities sampled in this study was obtained
Summary
Rural residents have poorer oral health and more limited access to dental services than their city counterparts. Improved links and greater collaboration between resident rural primary care and dental practitioners could help improve oral health service provision such that interventions are both timely, effective and lead to appropriate follow-up and referral. Residents of rural and remote areas of Australia continue to experience poorer oral health than other population groups [1]. Residents in these areas are at risk of poorer oral health outcomes [2], experience higher rates of dental caries [3] and are more likely to present to dentists for problems than residents of major cities [4]. There are many more dentists and other types of dental practitioners per 100,000 population in major cities than in remote/very remote areas
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
