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.

Dental caries and fluorosis experience of 8-12-year-old children by early-life exposure to fluoride.

Background: It is important to evaluate concurrently the benefit for dental caries and the risk for dental fluorosis from early exposure to fluoride among children.

Aim: To evaluate associations of different levels of exposure to fluoride in early childhood with dental caries and dental fluorosis experience in school children.

Methods: A Child Dental Health Survey (CDHS) was conducted among school children in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) in 2007.

Dental caries in 14- and 15-year-olds in New South Wales, Australia.

Background: Dental caries remains one of the most common chronic diseases of adolescents. In Australia there have been few epidemiological studies of the caries experience of adolescents with most surveys focusing on children. The New South Wales (NSW) Teen Dental Survey 2010 is the second major survey undertaken by the Centre for Oral Health Strategy.

The Early Childhood Oral Health Program: promoting prevention and timely intervention of early childhood caries in NSW through shared care.

Issue Addressed: Early childhood caries (ECC) continues to have high prevalence worldwide, despite being largely preventable. The Early Childhood Oral Health (ECOH) Program was established in New South Wales (NSW) using a model of shared responsibility for oral health, which involves a partnership between child health professionals, oral health professionals and parents of young children, to facilitate the primary prevention, early identification and early intervention of ECC.

Methods: An evaluation of the ECOH program was conducted, using mixed methods.

Child Dental Health Survey 2007: a snapshot of the oral health status of primary school-aged children in NSW.

Objectives: The Child Dental Health Survey 2007 was commissioned to establish the oral health status of school children in NSW aged 5-12 years, to provide reliable regional oral health statistics and contribute to national population-based data collections.

Methods: A total of 7975 children were clinically examined at 107 public, catholic and independent schools across NSW.

Results: Key findings from the survey include: mean dmft for 5-6-year-olds of 1.

The Blue Book oral health program: a collaborative partnership with statewide implications.

Issue Addressed: Basic oral health knowledge and skills are essential for parents and child health professionals to promote good oral health and the prevention of dental disease in young children. The aim of the Blue Book Program was to provide accurate and appropriate oral health information to all parents of newborn babies and young children in New South Wales (NSW), Australia, and child health professionals to address the serious issue of early childhood caries (ECC) and to increase general health involvement in oral health promotion.

Methods: Oral health information sheets were developed based on a review of current literature plus input from paediatric dental specialists.