Variations in Australian dental therapy practice by practitioner and workplace characteristics.

INTRODUCTION: Understanding dental therapy practice across clinical settings is useful for education and service planning. This study assessed if dental therapy service provision varied according to practitioner and workplace characteristics. METHODS: Members of professional associations representing dental therapists (DT) and oral health therapists (OHT) were posted a self-complete survey collecting practitioner and workplace characteristics, together with clinical activity on a self-selected typical day of practice. Differences in service provision according to characteristics were assessed by comparing mean services per patient visit. Negative binomial regression models estimated adjusted ratios (R) of mean services per patient. RESULTS: The response rate was 60.6%. Of practitioners registered as an OHT or a DT, 80.0% (n = 500) were employed in general clinical practice. Nearly one-third of OHT and nearly two-thirds of DT worked in public sector dental services. Patterns of service provision varied significantly according to practice sector and other characteristics. After adjusting for characteristics, relative to private sector, public sector practitioners had higher provision rates of fissure sealants (R = 3.79, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 2.84-5.06), restorations (R = 3.78, 95% CI: 2.94-4.86) and deciduous tooth extractions (R = 3.58, 95% CI: 2.60-4.93) per patient visit, and lower provision rates of oral health instruction (R = 0.86, 95% CI: 0.76-0.98), fluoride applications (R = 0.43, 95% CI: 0.33-0.56), scale and cleans (R = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.34-0.45) and periodontal services (R = 0.20, 95% CI: 0.14-0.28) per patient visit. CONCLUSION: Differences in service provision according to sector indicate that OHT and DT adapt to differing patient groups and models of care. Variations may also indicate that barriers to utilising the full scope of practice exist in some settings.

Predicting high achievers in the University of Adelaide, Australia, Bachelor of Oral Health program, 2002-09.

The Bachelor of Oral Health (B.O.H.) commenced at the University of Adelaide in 2002. The degree was formed by combining the Diploma in Dental Therapy and the Diploma and Advanced Diploma in Dental Hygiene. This preliminary study measured the predictive value of the selection criteria against students' academic performance at the end of each enrollment year of the B.O.H. program. Predictive indicators were prior academic achievement (i.e., tertiary entrance ranking [TER], university grade point average, or Special Tertiary Admissions Test scores) and the admission cognitive test score (i.e., Undergraduate Medical Admissions Test [UMAT] and Oral Assessment [OA] ranking). Predictive indicators were compared with the students' level of academic achievement across the three-year program. The aim of this study was to determine if prior academic achievement, cognitive test scores, and oral assessment predicted high level of academic achievement for B.O.H. students. The TER was found to be a strong predictor for academic performance after controlling for age, gender, type of applicant, and student preference in the first year along with older students (>25 years) and a higher UMAT score. Raising the TER cut-off for entry to the program should be considered, along with less emphasis on the OA and UMAT, because such a change would have little impact on achievement and would increase the pool of applicants.