Topic: “Risks of poor oral health conditions with an overview of national oral health policy in Australia”
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Introduction
Good oral hygiene is essential for safety and wellbeing. Among Australians, there is evidence of poor oral health over the last 20-30 years. Many characteristics of oral disease are unnecessary and there is a variety of efficient oral health support policies that can decrease the impact of oral health. In Australia, health services are of high quality. The most affected populations have the utmost load of poor oral health and the most important barriers to contacting oral health care. These can consist of the people who have low earnings, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders and population living in rural areas. To advise the design of relevant, reliable and affordable oral health programs, formal and integrated testing and evaluation plans are needed. It is necessary to establish a national strategy for an oral health study and to devote ourselves to the daily collection of oral health population data. The research proposal is based on the risks of poor oral health conditions with an overview of national oral health policy in Australia.
Literature Review
Existing Oral health Conditions in Australia
In Australia, around 90 percent adults and 40 percent children face tooth decay problem at any point in their lives. According to a report released by the Australian government (2015), approx 63,000 Australians visit hospitals due to dental problems that actually can be avoided. Dental problems are 3rd highest reason for which people visit hospitals every year in Australia. Despite of various efforts taken by the Australian Government in past two-three decades, 42 percent young and 64 percent older children are experiencing tooth decay; which is 5 times higher as compare to Asthma (COAG, 2015). Oral health problems are higher among Indigenous communities. The study revealed that dental health issues are higher among people who are: socially disadvantaged, indigenous, living in rural and remote areas, and people with special healthcare needs. A framework proposed by COAG to address oral health problem in Australia is as follow:
Australian Dental Association says that dental problems increases burden on healthcare in Australia and pain and uneasiness caused to poor oral health reduces the ‘quality of life’ in Australia. According to ADA, in 2015-16, Australia spent around AUD 9.9 billion on oral health (ADA, Feb 2018). Below given image shows the existing oral health conditions in Australia. The data given by ADA shows that still many people do not regularly visit dentist to maintain good oral health.
Major Reasons responsible for Poor Oral Health:
Knox, Garner, Dyason, Pearson, & Pit (2017), in their article said that people living in rural and remote areas do not have access to drinking water that contains minerals in right quantity. That people are drinking water that contains high amount of fluoride which causes teeth problems in Australia (Knox, Garner, Dyason, Pearson, & Pit, 2017). Excessive intake of the sugar among young people is another reason cited by ADA for oral health problems. People who want to keep their teeth healthy should brush their teeth twice in a day. However, a significant percentage of Australia population does not brush their teeth twice in a day which causes to oral diseases. People also do not visit dentists regularly to prevent dental illnesses. Among adults, consumption of Alcohol and Tobacco is a reason for dental issues.
Aim of the research
This project aims to explore the gaps and holes in the oral health policies of Australia and Queensland, poor oral health and its effect on the population and risk of poor oral health. In the literature review, there is a comparison between oral health policy in Australia and Queensland. The literature review has discussed the structure of oral health policy. The national oral health policy (2004-2013) concentrates on the dissimilarities in oral health outcomes. Impacts of the policy in the local population of Australia and Queensland have been discussed in the literature review. With the help of this research, a collaborative description of the national oral health policy has been demonstrated.
Oral diseases appear to be global health difficulties. The research helps to find the popular strategy for risk factors that makes oral health a vital component of the global health agenda. The long-term policy for oral health is designed to promote wellbeing and prevent diseases by practical, multidisciplinary cooperation. The Australian government and the federal and state governments are providing several services in counties and remote regions, primarily with medical shortages. Such programs include collaborations with medical students and professionals and grants for tertiary education and technical online training projects. The hypothesis shows that over time in the country, inequalities in decayed teeth are more common among the poor and rural people.
Summary of oral health policy in Australia
Body protection applies to teeth and gums with the muscle and bone, as well. Bad oral health has troubled the population primarily with tooth decay, gum infection and tooth loss. In the literature review, first of all, the search strategy has been discussed along with the keywords searched. The gap in Australia’s healthcare is because of a deficiency of oral health care. Dental and oral health is a customary part of wellbeing and fitness, while some of the significant issues such as tobaccos, lack of dental assessment and low incomes add ups to poor oral hygiene. Poor nutrition can also be the other reason for poor oral health. In this literature review, there is a collaborative description of the risk of poor oral health. This can be due to low-income populations, poverty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians and rural population. There can be a variety of risk factors that conclude poor oral health include sugar consumption, fluoridated drinking water and consumption of alcohol and tobacco. In this literature review, the oral health of the Australian population and the residents of Queensland has been described. These populations include children and adults.
Several oral health tools such as books, maps, etc. are accessible from the Queensland government. The program offers qualifying people who reside in Central Queensland for free dental facilities. Services are available for adults and children in local dental clinics and portable dental carriers or university clinics. Around half of those who do not have any coverage and are unable to access public health care are only alleviated from pain and are seriously affected by oral health in a culture that usually desires protection. The only other group that has similarly low levels of care is non-assured non-cardholders with low incomes. The report ended with Australia’s national policies on the risk factors of bad oral health and its effects. The long-term strategic oral health strategy is designed to promote wellness and prevent diseases by effective multidisciplinary collaboration. There is a variety of programs provided by the Australian government, the State and federal governments in states and remote areas in general. It is advised that patients frequently visit dentists and engage in an interdisciplinary medical team. Routine periodontal tests, scaling and root planning are essential to provide the best possible security for patients with diabetes.
Research Objective
The primary objective of this research is to analyze National Oral Health Policy and Risk associated with poor oral health conditions in Australia.
Research Justification
Oral health in Australia is one the leading cause that taking many people to the hospitals every year. A significant percentage of adults and children suffer with oral health problems every year. Australian government has taken several steps to minimize the oral health problems. However, the desired results still seem like a challenge. Government is required to take many interventions at several levels to achieve the target oral health among Australians. In this regard, it is imperative to understand various risks associated with the poor oral health. So that various programs can be formed to inform people about the risks and preventive measures that can be taken to minimize those risks. Gil-Montoya et al. (2015) in their research study found a positive relation between oral health and overall well being of the elderly people (Gil-Montoya et al., 2015). Wu et al. (2016) in their study found that oral health impacts cognitive status of the individuals (Wu et al., 2016). Therefore, it is important to understand various risks associated with poor oral health, and how these risks can be minimized through government interventions.
Research Methodology
The research study will be based secondary data analysis. Under the research study, no primary research and data collection will be performed due to monetary and resource limitations. In the research study, focus will be placed on secondary data collection and evaluation. In the research study, a systematic review of past research studies, scholarly article, books, magazines, and literature available on the subject will be conducted. The research study will utilize mixed research method approach, which means both qualitative and quantitative data will be collected from secondary sources (Neuman, 2016). A systematic review of government policy on oral health will also be performed under the research.