Early childhood caries, primary caregiver oral health knowledge and behaviours and associated sociological factors in Australia: A systematic scoping review

Background Early childhood caries disproportionately affects vulnerable groups and remains a leading cause of preventable hospital admissions for Western Australian children. The Western Australia State Oral Health Plan seeks to improve child oral health through universal and targeted health promotion initiatives with primary caregivers. These initiatives require evidence of primary caregiver oral health knowledge and behaviours and baseline data on early childhood caries. The objective of this systematic scoping review was to understand current oral health knowledge and practices of primary caregivers of children aged 0–4 years, identify influential socioecological determinants, and identify data on early childhood caries in the Western Australian context. Methods A systematic scoping review framework identified articles published between 2010 and 2021, using Scopus, PubMed, Medline, CINAHL, PsycINFO, selected article reference lists, and oral health websites. The lack of Western Australian specific literature prompted the inclusion of Australia-wide articles. Articles were screened via author consensus, with eight selected. Results Western Australia and nation-wide data on early childhood caries are limited and mostly dated. WA data from children aged 2–3 years, collected in 2006, suggests the prevalence is 2.9% in this state, with national data of children from 0 to 3 years, collected from 2006 and 2008, suggesting an early childhood caries prevalence of 3.4–8% of children aged 18 months, rising sharply by 36 months of age. Nationally, fewer than half the primary caregivers reported following evidence-based oral health recommendations for their young children. Perceptions of the role of dental services for young children tends to be focussed on treatment, rather than surveillance and prevention. Knowledge of dietary and oral hygiene practices is inconsistent and awareness of the Child Dental Benefit Schedule low. Young children’s oral health status is clearly associated with socioecological factors, including socioeconomic status. Conclusions Recent early childhood caries data and evidence of primary care-givers’ oral health knowledge and behaviours are unavailable in Western Australia, a similar situation exists nationwide. To realise the Western Australian and National Oral Health Plans, research is required to address this knowledge gap

The Kimberley Dental Team: A process evaluation of a volunteer dental programme serving remote Aboriginal communities in

Objectives This study aims to conduct a process evaluation of the Kimberley Dental Team (KDT), a not-for-profit, volunteer organization providing care to remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. Methods A logic model was constructed to detail the operational context of the KDT model. Subsequently, the fidelity (the extent to which each of the programme\u27s elements were implemented as planned), dose (types and quantity of services provided) and reach (demographic characteristics and communities serviced) of the KDT model were evaluated using service data, deidentified clinical records and volunteer rosters maintained by KDT from 2009 to 2019. Trends and patterns of service provision were analysed using total counts and proportions over time. A Poisson regression model was used to explore changed in the rates of surgical treatment over time. The associations between volunteer activity and service provision was also investigated using correlation coefficients and linear regression. Results A total of 6365 patients (98% identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander) were seen over the 10-year period with services being provided across 35 different communities in the Kimberley. Most services were provided to school-aged children, consistent with the programme\u27s objectives. The peak preventive, restorative and surgical rates occurred among school-aged children, young adults and older adults respectively. A trend was observed indicating a reducing rate of surgical procedures from 2010 to 2019 (p \u3c .001). The volunteer profile showed significant diversity beyond the conventional dentist–nurse structure and 40% being repeat volunteers. Conclusions The KDT programme maintained a strong focus on service provision to school-aged children over the last decade with the educational and preventive components being central to the care being provided. This process evaluation found that the dose and reach of the KDT model grew with an increase in resources and was adaptive to perceived community need. The model was shown to evolve through gradual structural adaptations contributing to its overall fidelity

Consumer perspective on using digital platform for remote dental screening.

Aim or Purpose: The use of mHealth technologies in dentistry is relatively new. This study used a modified Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to evaluate primary caregivers’ experience using a smartphone application designed for remote dental screening based on photographs taken by primary caregivers of preschool children in Australia. Materials and Methods: A questionnaire with 17 questions was constructed based on the theme of the TAM, including Perceived ease of use (PE), Perceived usefulness (PU), Behavioural intention to adopt (BI), Anxiety (ANX), Attitude toward a behaviour (ATB) and Self-Efficacy (SE). Forty-two primary caregivers who were users of a tele-dental screening app completed the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha was estimated to determine internal consistency. Path analysis was employed to quantify the relationship between each theme. Results: Results indicated high consistency in response in the different domains of the questionnaire (a= 0.50-0.84). Statistically significant associations were observed between both perceived usefulness and attitude toward behaviour and the overall behavioural intention to adopt the Tele-dental screening app (P<0.05). Self-Efficacy also positively affected the perceived usefulness. Conclusions: Understanding users' experience of technology will show community readiness for implementing the telehealth application in the dental program and developing and increasing the accessibility of tele-dental care for primary caregivers and their children