Dental health in rural Victoria: the Crossroads Household Survey

Abstract

Background: The aims of this study were to describe dental health and perceived barriers to dental care in a regional centre and surrounding smaller towns in rural Victoria. Methods: A stratified, randomized, face-to-face household survey was undertaken to assess levels of edentulism and access to oral health services. A study response rate of 70.3 per cent (6316/9260) was achieved. Results: When compared with those in the regional centre, people living in the shire capitals were more likely to travel greater distances to see a dentist and were less likely to have seen a dentist within the past 12 months. While there was little difference in the edentulous proportion living in shire capitals compared with the regional centre, the level of edentulousness over the entire region was greater than overall Australian estimates. Differences in perceived barriers to care within the region were less than expected. Existing perceived barriers were lack of need, time until available appointments, attitudes of dentists and lack of public dental facilities. Differences in these barriers existed between socioeconomic groups. Conclusions: This study shows that the prevalence of edentulism was higher in the areas studied relative to the Australian population. Significant patient perceived barriers to care exist which may contribute to the problem.

Hypertriglyceridemic-waist is more predictive of abnormal liver and renal function in an Australian population than a Chinese population

“…The Australian population data were derived from the Crossroads study (>98% European descent) 9 carried out between June 2001 and March 2003 among residents of the seven main towns in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Australia (populations 2094-35,828), as previously described 8,9,10 . A two-step approach was used: interviews were conducted with all residents in randomly selected households (a 'census') and then invitations were given for all usual residents (resident in the area for at least 6 months) aged ≥ 25 years to attend for a 'clinic'.…”

Self-Rated Oral Health as a Valid Measure of Oral Health Status in Adults Living in Rural Australia

“…An interesting point to highlight is that in comparison with the Crossroads I study (2000–2003) [ 18 ], wherein participants were asked to self-report the presence of natural teeth, the number of edentulous people decreased from 14.5% to 10.2%, which indicates a decrease in the prevalence of edentulism in this rural area of Victoria in the last eighteen years.…”

Patterns of use of oral health care services in Australian rural adults: the Crossroads‐II Dental sub‐study

“…The National Study of Adult Oral Health 2017–2018 found that tooth loss, dental disease, and having inadequate dentition were each higher for residents outside capital cities 3 . Other studies have reported that regional Victorian towns had edentulism rates (14.5%) higher than the national average (9.0%) 4,5 . This would indicate that improvements in oral health that have been achieved in Australia in the past few decades have had less impact for residents of regional areas than their metropolitan counterparts, suggesting unmet need and unaddressed barriers.…”

“…3 Other studies have reported that regional Victorian towns had edentulism rates (14.5%) higher than the national average (9.0%). 4,5 This would indicate that improvements in oral health that have been achieved in Australia in the past few decades have had less impact for residents of regional areas than their metropolitan counterparts, suggesting unmet need and unaddressed barriers. These are important concerns for policy makers and current preventative strategies.…”