Melbourne Dental School - Research Publications

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Author: Calache, Hanny × Author: Parashos, Peter × Start date: 2021 × End date: 2021 ×

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    Perceived barriers encountered by oral health professionals in the Australian public dental system providing dental treatment to individuals with special needs
    Lim, MAWT ; Liberali, SAC ; Calache, H ; Parashos, P ; Borromeo, GL (WILEY, 2021-05)
    AIMS: To investigate barriers experienced by clinicians treating individuals with special needs in the Australian public dental system. METHODS AND RESULTS: Oral health professionals working at primary care clinics in the public dental system were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews or focus groups to discuss the challenges they faced in managing patients with special needs. Qualitative methods, employing inductive thematic analysis, revealed two primary barriers: 1. clinicians lacked confidence in their ability to treat patients with special needs because of insufficient training and experience, and difficulties obtaining information about their patients, and 2. barriers within the public dental system, including inadequate funding, equipment and facilities, and productivity pressures prevented clinicians from being able to provide the care patients required. The priority and understanding of the oral health for these individuals within the public dental system and wider disability sector was also raised. CONCLUSION: A perceived lack of training and experience in managing individuals with special needs was a barrier to treating patients with special needs. Other significant barriers were under-resourcing of the public dental system and a lack of priority and understanding regarding oral health among carers of individuals with special needs and other health professionals.
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    Perspectives of the public dental workforce on the dental management of people with special needs
    Lim, MAWT ; Liberali, SAC ; Calache, H ; Parashos, P ; Borromeo, GL (WILEY, 2021-09)
    BACKGROUND: People with special health care needs continue to have difficulties accessing regular dental care partly due to oral health professionals feeling they lack the knowledge and experience to provide treatment to these individuals. METHODS: Qualitative interviews and focus groups provided an insight into the types and nature of supports that oral health professionals working in the Australian public dental system desired and felt may improve their willingness and/or ability to treat patients with special needs. RESULTS: Although participants did not identify one group of patients with special needs that were more difficult to treat, they did report a feeling of being unsupported. Clinicians felt that improved training and access to ongoing education in Special Needs Dentistry, opportunities for greater support from specialists or other health professionals, either through networking or other media such as telehealth, and fostering a more supportive clinical environment, particularly in relation to appointment lengths and productivity pressures, may improve their willingness and ability to treat patients with special needs. CONCLUSIONS: Additional support, in the form of greater interaction with specialists and reduced time and productivity pressures, may improve the willingness of oral health professionals in the public dental system to treat patients with special needs.