Australian Dental Perspectives

Welcome to the third article in the Australian Dental Perspectives series, drawing on material from meetings of the Preventive Dentistry Forum (PDF), an initiative of Pfizer Consumer Healthcare. Bruce Hawker, founding partner of public affairs consultancy, Hawker Britton, addressed the PDF in May 2004 to give an overview of a poll recently conducted by Hawker Britton and research partner UMR.

The poll, Dental Treatment in Australia, was conducted in December 2003 and interviewed a sample of 1,000 Australians over the age of 18. The poll is part of a monthly series of questions on topical issues by Hawker Britton, appearing fortnightly on Channel Seven's Sunrise program.

The Results

The results of the poll provide a 'snapshot' of Dental Treatment in Australia and were discussed and debated by members of the PDF – a group of 11 leading oral health professionals from around Australia.

Visits to the Dentist: How Often and Why Not?

• 62% of Australians did not have a six month check-up;
• 26% of Australians have not been to a dentist in three years or more;
• 25% of Australians said they 'don't need to';
• 19% said 'my teeth are fine'; and
• 17% said it was 'too expensive'.

These results indicate that the message 'visit your dentist every six months' is still not being adopted by patients, with only 37% of Australians following this advice.

In addition to raising issues about cost, the stated reasons for not visiting a dentist highlight a misconception that the dentist is a practitioner who solves oral health problems rather than one who prevents them. PDF member Professor Eric Reynolds identified that "The root of the problem is that people think their dental treatment needs relate only to teeth. The fact that there's no mention of gums, oral cancer or other mucosal diseases demonstrates that broader oral health issues are largely ignored by patients."

Geographic Differences

• 43% of inner metropolitan residents had visited a dentist in the last six months compared to 32% of regional residents.

Wealth and access were identified as the key factors influencing the 'Geographic Differences' observed. Bruce Hawker commented, "Unsurprisingly, inner metropolitan residents were the highest consumers of dental services. In contrast, only one third of regional residents had visited a dentist in the last six months with an almost equal percentage not receiving dental treatment for over three years."

Gender Differences

• 35% of men and 38% of women have been to a dentist in the last six months; and
• 17% of women sighted the 'unpleasant experience' or being 'frightened' as the reason for not going, compared with only 9% of men.

The fact that almost equal percentages of men and women had visited a dentist in the last six months came as a surprise to members of the PDF. Dr Don Wilson stated, "These figures are somewhat counterintuitive as women and children have typically been regarded as the lifeblood of a dental practice." However, the reasons for these groups not visiting a dentist were deemed to be more 'stereotypic' with women citing the 'unpleasantness' of the experience and men saying they were 'too busy'.

In analysing these findings, the PDF agreed the gender differences observed highlight an opportunity for dentists to tailor messages for each of these audiences to help overcome their respective issues.

Age Differences

• 29% of Australians under 30 visited a dentist in the last six moths compared to 36% of 30-39 year olds and 42% of Australians aged 50-64

The 'Age Differences' identified by the poll show that persons aged 50-64 years were the most likely to visit a dentist in the last six months, followed by those aged 40-49.

Among under 30s who haven't visited a dentist, half believed they 'didn't need to go' or that their 'teeth were fine'. PDF member Leonie Short observed, "This is a common perception among young adults who have experienced very few oral health problems in their youth."

Among 30-39 year olds, cost was the major barrier to dental treatment. With many young families in this demographic, Professor Hien Ngo identified, "Many adults may be sacrificing their own visits to fund dental care for their children."

Economic Differences

• 28% of Australians earning under $30K and 43% of those earning over $80K had visited a dentist in the last six months.

The 'Economic Differences' highlighted by the poll indicate a link between wealth and an increased frequency of dental visits. These results highlight a role for dentists in educating lower-income earners about the long-term cost savings of regular dental check-ups. For higher income earners, the PDF agreed frequent reminders and greater flexibility in terms of consultation hours were the keys to increasing the recurrent visits.

In Summary

In discussing the results of the poll, the PDF identified three key issues affecting dental treatment in Australia.

1. Cost – of consultations and procedures in the private practice and the lack of public dental clinics;
2. Access – especially in outer metropolitan and regional areas as well as difficulty accessing dental treatment during standard consultation times; and
3. Awareness – of the need to visit a dentist on a regular basis, even in the absence of problems.

The challenge in improving dental treatment in Australia is that many of these issues, particularly those related to cost and access, are structural. As such, the onus must remain with the patient. In addition to understanding the benefits of visiting a dentist on a regular basis and being motivated to put this into practice, patients need to embrace self-care and adopt an adequate home care routine that helps prevent problems from occurring in the first place.