Nicole Stormon

Understanding barriers to utilisation of the Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS)

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a federal funding policy subsidising eligible children’s dental treatment in the private and public sectors. It has been well established in the literature and policy reports that the CDBS is underutilised by eligible children. The fifth review of the CDBS recommended “In recognition of the continued under-utilisation of the CDBS, investigate barriers and implement strategies to improve utilisation and service delivery for eligible children.” Therefore, understanding the barriers to utilisation of the CDBS can inform models of care and strategies to improving eligible children’s access dental care and utilisation of the scheme.

Aim: The primary aim of this research is to explore and understand the barriers to the utilisation of the CDBS among eligible children. By identifying these barriers, the study aims to co-design strategies and solutions with key stakeholders to improve access to and utilisation of the CDBS.

Objectives:

• To explore the social, cultural, economic, and systemic barriers that prevent eligible children and their families from accessing the CDBS.
• To gather insights from key stakeholders, including parents, dental practitioners, policymakers, and community organisations, regarding their perceptions of the CDBS and the challenges associated with its use.
• To co-design innovative, practical, and culturally appropriate strategies to overcome the identified barriers to the utilisation of the CDBS.
• To assess the feasibility, acceptability, and potential impact of the co-designed strategies in improving the utilisation of the CDBS.

Methodology: This project will employ a qualitative research approach to achieve its aims and objectives.

Oral health education and access to dental care for cultural and linguistically diverse groups in Australia

The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) is a federal funding policy subsidising eligible children’s dental treatment in the private and public sectors. It has been well established in the literature and policy reports that the CDBS is underutilised by eligible children. The fifth review of the CDBS identified a need to target “priority groups through culturally appropriate campaigns, and publication of materials for culturally and linguistically diverse groups”.

Aims: This project aims to explore the barriers to the utilisation of the CDBS among culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups in Australia and to develop culturally appropriate oral health education strategies and interventions to improve access to dental care for these populations.

Objectives:

• To explore barriers that prevent CALD families from accessing dental care and utilising the CDBS, including cultural, linguistic, and systemic challenges.
• To evaluate the level of oral health literacy among CALD families, with a focus on understanding their awareness, perceptions, and knowledge of the CDBS and available dental services.
• To develop culturally and linguistically tailored oral health education materials and campaigns aimed at improving the utilisation of the CDBS among CALD groups.
• To assess the effectiveness of the developed strategies and materials in increasing CDBS utilisation and improving oral health outcomes among CALD populations through pilot studies and feedback from the target groups.

Methodology: This project will employ a multi-methods qualitative and quantitative research approach to achieve its aims and objectives.

Improving access to children’s oral health services to decrease presentations with chronic dental caries

Australia’s dental care system is a mixed healthcare model where individuals can access care through either public or privately operated services. Children aged 4 to 16 years attending all Queensland Schools are eligible for free dental services through public oral health. In Queensland Health, oral health services provide care to children and employ Dental therapists and Oral health therapists as the providers for these services. Invasive restorations and extractions are used to treat the disease for the majority of children despite dental caries being preventable. Unmet oral health needs are evident in Queensland children, with avoidable hospitalisations due to dental caries still occurring.

Health needs assessments are systematic methods for reviewing community needs to inform public health services, delivery and allocation of resources. Needs assessments allow evidence-based service planning and development, and address health inequities. Needs assessments are tools that facilitate community engagement to; 1) identify the population problem; 2) gather data on the health condition and determinants; 3) determine the priorities to create effective and acceptable interventions; 4) plan for and implement the intervention; 5) evaluate and measure the impact of the intervention. The high prevalence and incidence of dental caries in children presents an on ongoing public health issue that needs to be addressed.

Aims: This project aims to evaluate the unmet oral health needs of Queensland children with a health needs assessment and design innovations to improve access to care.

Objectives:

• To analyse the prevalence and distribution of oral disease among children in urban Queensland.
• To examine data on the social, economic, environmental, and behavioural determinants that influence the oral health status of children.
• To determine and prioritise key areas for intervention by identifying gaps in current oral health services and unmet needs, with a focus on improving access to dental care for children in underserved populations.
• To develop and propose inter-professional, needs-based models of care and interventions that are tailored to address the identified oral health needs and improve service delivery.

Methodology: This project will employ a quantitative data linkage research approach to achieve its aims and objectives.

Investigating factors to successful implementation and access to dental care in the cleft lip and palate scheme

The Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme in Australia is a government-funded initiative designed to provide comprehensive dental care and surgical treatment for individuals born with cleft lip and palate. This scheme ensures that affected individuals receive timely and specialised care, including orthodontic and prosthodontic services to improve their oral health and quality of life.

Utilising a strengths-based approach, this project will focus on identifying and analysing the successes of the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme in delivering dental care across Queensland. By leveraging the principles of implementation science, the research will explore the factors that have facilitated effective service delivery, with the goal of replicating these successes more broadly. Implementation science frameworks will guide the investigation into how the scheme has been adopted, sustained, and scaled within different healthcare settings. This project will explore barriers but also the facilitators that have contributed to the successful delivery of dental care under the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme, providing evidence-based recommendations for enhancing the scheme’s reach and effectiveness.

Aims: This project aims to investigate the factors that contribute to the successful implementation and access to dental care within the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme in Australia. The study seeks to identify barriers and facilitators to care, with the goal of improving service delivery and outcomes for individuals with cleft lip and palate.

Objectives:

• To evaluate the factors affecting access to dental care for individuals covered by the Cleft Lip and Palate Scheme, focusing on patient and provider perspectives.
• To examine the effectiveness of current service delivery models within the scheme and identify areas for improvement in terms of accessibility, quality, and patient satisfaction.
• To propose evidence-based best practice guidelines for improving the implementation and access to dental care within public funding schemes.

Methodology: This multi-methods study will incorporate both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of the scheme’s implementation.