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Objective To examine the association between children's clinical oral health status and their residential location using the latest available data (2009) and to ascertain whether poor oral health among rural children is related to being Indigenous, having less access to fluoridated water or being of lower socioeconomic status ( SES), than children from urban areas. Design Cross-sectional survey. Setting and participant Data were collected on 74 467 children aged 5-12 years attending school dental services in Australia (data were not available for Victoria or New South Wales). Main outcome measures Clinical oral health was determined by the mean number of permanent teeth with untreated caries, missing and filled permanent teeth, and the mean decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth index ( DMFT) of 8 to 12-year-old-children and the mean number deciduous teeth with untreated caries, missing and filled deciduous teeth, and the mean decayed, missing and filled deciduous teeth index (dmft) of 5-10-year-olds. Results The multivariable models that included coefficients on whether the child was Indigenous, from an area with fluoridated water and SES, were controlled for age and sex. The mean DMFT of 8-12-year-old children and the mean dmft of 5-10-year-old-children were significantly higher in rural areas compared with urban centres after accounting for Indigenous status, fluoridated water and SES. Conclusion Children's oral health was poorer in rural areas than in major city areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine whether a different number and type of services were provided in Australian regional areas under the Australian Government-funded Chronic Disease Dental Scheme ( CDDS). Design Retrospective analysis of administrative payments data. Setting Australia. Participants Patients receiving dental services under the Medicare CDDS. Interventions The CDDS. Main outcome measures Number and type of services. Method CDDS service categories Australian Statistical Geography Standard ( ASGS) regions were collected by the Australian Department of Human Services between 2008 and 2013 and compared by Australian Bureau of Statistics ASGS estimated resident regional 2011 population, and by employed number of dentists, dental specialists and dental prosthetists from the 2011 National Health Workforce Dataset. Results Number of services provided was greatest in major cities (79.0%), followed by inner regional (15.4%), outer regional (5.2%) and remote/very remote Australia (0.4%). Number of services per head of population decreased from 1.088 in major cities to 0.16 in remote/very remote areas. Number of services provided per dental practitioner showed minimal variation between major city (1672), inner (1777) and outer regional (1627) areas, but was lower in remote/very remote areas (641). Crown and bridge, periodontic, endodontic and removable prostheses per dental practitioner were most frequently supplied in the major cities, but restorative care and oral surgery were more frequently supplied in inner and outer regional areas. Conclusion The number of CDDS services provided declined with regional remoteness. There was a marked difference in the utilisation of the scheme between major cities and remote/very remote areas in both number and type of service levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To determine if clinical oral health outcomes differ between people who reside in major city, inner regional and outer regional areas of Australia. Design Data from the National Survey of Adult Oral Health 2004-06 that used a clustered stratified random sampling design with telephone interviews, standardised oral epidemiological examinations and self-complete questionnaires were used to compare the clinical oral health. Main outcome measures Decayed, missing and filled permanent teeth. Participants Australians aged 15 years or more. Data were weighted by age, sex and regional location to the Estimated Resident Population, bivariate analysis undertaken to determine confounders and multivariate analysis completed with dental caries clinical measures as dependent variables. Results Inner regional people had a significantly higher decayed, missing and filled teeth than people from major cities ( Estimate = 1.15, P < 0.01), but there was no difference between inner and regional areas. Older people had higher outcomes for decayed, missing and filled teeth (15.42, P < 0.01) and missing teeth (9.66, P < 0.01), but less decayed teeth (−0.37, P < 0.01), and people with the highest incomes had lower dental caries experience (−1.34, P < 0.01) and missing teeth (−1.42, P < 0.01). Conclusion Dental caries experience was greater in inner regional areas than in major city areas, but not outer regional areas. Dental caries experience was similar in outer regional and major city areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]