Provision of Public Dental Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences of Dental Staff in Greater Western Sydney, Australia.

Background And Aim: The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to significant changes in health service delivery. Despite the risk in high-exposure environments, frontline workers such as dental staff were expected to continue delivering essential services. This study specifically sought to explore the experiences of dental staff in New South Wales and determine their perceptions of dental care delivery during a pandemic.

The development of a new oral health patient reported outcome measure: the New South Wales public dental services approach.

Background: Addressing Patient Reported Outcomes (PROs) is essential for patient-centred care, shared decision making and improved health outcomes. Value-based health care systems in New South Wales (NSW) have a growing focus on collecting and using PROs that matter most to patients to improve their healthcare outcomes. Developing oral health patient reported outcomes measures (OH-PROM) is a first step towards value-based oral health care.

Hospitalisations Due to Dental Infection: A Retrospective Clinical Audit from an Australian Public Hospital.

The aim of this clinical audit is to evaluate the characteristics of dental infections requiring hospitalisations, which may help improve preventative and management policies. This study retrospectively evaluated the records of patients admitted to the Nepean hospital, Kingswood, New South Wales, Australia, due to dental infections between 2018 and 2019. A total of 102 patients, mostly in their thirties with equal gender distribution, were admitted with dental infections, presenting with pain (100%), swelling (99%), trismus (40.

Dental Infection Requiring Hospitalisation Is a Public Health Problem in Australia: A Systematic Review Demonstrating an Urgent Need for Published Data.

: The aim of this systematic review was to analyse the published literature on dental infections leading to hospitalisations in Australia. It was hoped that understanding the patterns and trends would form a basis for improved preventive and management policies. An electronic search was performed using Web of Science, Medline via Ovid and Google Scholar.

Periodontitis and Preeclampsia in Pregnancy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: A conflicting body of evidence suggests localized periodontal inflammation spreads systemically during pregnancy inducing adverse pregnancy outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis aim to specifically evaluate the relationship between periodontitis and preeclampsia.

Methods: Electronic searches were carried out in Medline, Pubmed, Embase, Lilacs, Cochrane Controlled Clinical Trial Register, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.

Long-term effectiveness of the midwifery initiated oral health-dental service program on maternal oral health knowledge, preventative dental behaviours and the oral health status of children in Australia.

Background: The Midwifery Initiated Oral Health-Dental Service was developed to train midwives to promote maternal oral health, and a large trial showed it substantially improved the oral health, knowledge and behaviours of pregnant women.

Aim: Evaluate the long-term effectiveness of the program (post-trial) on maternal oral health knowledge, dental behaviours, and early childhood caries in offspring.

Methods: A prospective cohort study involving 204 women and children 3-4 years (followed after trial) was conducted in Sydney, Australia from 2017 to 2019.

The use of antibiotics in acute oral health patients presenting at public dental clinics in the Western Sydney region.

Background: There is a limited need for antibiotics when treating oral health problems, yet they are often prescribed, increasing risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). With AMR a threat to public health, the objectives of this study were to assess the frequency, suitability, and factors associated with antibiotic prescriptions for acute dental problems across Greater Western Sydney public dental clinics.

Methods: Patients' reason for attending, details of any antibiotics use, and the treating dental practitioner's clinical examination and diagnosis were compared to current prescribing guidelines, and logistic regression was used to identify predictors of antibiotic prescription.

DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF PERIODONTAL TREATMENT STRATEGIES DURING PREGNANCY ON PERINATAL OUTCOMES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different periodontal treatment strategies during pregnancy on perinatal outcomes.

Study Selection: This systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines to assess the effect of mouthwash in addition to scaling and root planning (SRPM) on pregnancy outcomes, including preterm birth, low birth weight, gestational age, and birth weight. Pooled risk ratios (RR), mean differences (MD), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using the random effect model.

Economic evaluation of the Midwifery Initiated Oral Health-Dental Service programme in Australia.

Objectives: To critically evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the Midwifery Initiated Oral Health-Dental Service (MIOH-DS) designed to improve oral health of pregnant Australian women. Previous efficacy and process evaluations of MIOH-DS showed positive outcomes and improvements across various measures.

Design And Setting: The evaluation used a cost-utility model based on the initial study design of the MIOH-DS trial in Sydney, Australia from the perspective of public healthcare provider for a duration of 3 months to 4 years.

A retrospective study of the Hall technique for the treatment of carious primary teeth in Sydney, Australia.

Objectives: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the outcome of preformed metallic crowns (PMC) utilizing the HT in carious primary molars for children treated within public dental clinics across the Sydney region.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective cohort study was designed, whereby two investigators evaluated 113 primary molars treated with HT PMCs involving 71 participants (aged between 5 and 11 years) after a minimum of 6 months post treatment. The mean time elapsed between crown placement (treatment) and the review was 1.

A graduate oral health therapist program to support dental service delivery and oral health promotion in Aboriginal communities in New South Wales, Australia.

Introduction: The early closure of the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program and the Oral Health Therapy Graduate Year Program by the Australian Government adversely impacted New South Wales (NSW) Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This led to the co-design of a small-scale oral health therapy graduate year program for ACCHSs known as the Dalang Project, which enabled oral health therapists to engage with local Aboriginal communities and implement culturally competent, practical and evidence-based oral health promotion activities. This article provides an overview of the Dalang Project and its evaluation.

Aboriginal dental assistants can safely apply fluoride varnish in regional, rural and remote primary schools in New South Wales, Australia.

Problem: There are significant inequalities in oral health status between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children in Australia, particularly where the children have insufficient access to various forms of fluoride. There has been a growing interest in seeing fluoride varnish programs used more widely for Aboriginal children due to proven effectiveness. Despite this, there has been limited scale-up of these programs in Australia.

Process evaluation of the midwifery initiated oral health-dental service program: Perceptions of dental professionals.

Issue Addressed: All pregnant women should have a comprehensive oral health evaluation. Unfortunately, many pregnant women seldom seek dental care and some dentists are hesitant to treat during pregnancy. To address these issues, the Midwifery Initiated Oral Health Dental Service (MIOH-DS) program was developed in Australia.

Process evaluation of the midwifery initiated oral health-dental service program: Perceptions of midwives in Greater Western Sydney, Australia.

Background: Despite links between poor maternal oral health, adverse pregnancy outcomes and early childhood decay there is limited emphasis on maternal oral health in Australia. To address this, the Midwifery Initiated Oral Health Dental Service (MIOH-DS) program was developed in collaboration with the Australian College of Midwives.

Aims: To undertake a process evaluation and explore perceptions of midwives involved in the MIOH-DS program to determine its practicability, acceptability and feasibility if it were to be up-scaled and implemented into clinical practice.