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Public dental services

Public dental services

Introduction

New South Wales residents with a health care or pensioner concession card are eligible for public dental care. In order to monitor the use of public dental services, in 2006 the New South Wales Population Health asked respondents: In the last 12 months, have you been to a government-run public dental service or dental hospital? Overall, what do you think of the care you received at this public dental service? If care was rated as Fair or Poor, respondents were also asked: Could you briefly describe why you rated the care you received as Fair or Poor?

Results

Attendance at a public dental service

In 2006, the New South Wales Population Health Survey estimated that 4.2 per cent of adults attended a public dental service in the previous 12 months.

There was no significant variation between females and males. A significantly higher proportion of adults aged 16-24 years (6.7 per cent), and a significantly lower proportion of adults aged 35-44 years (2.9 per cent), attended a public dental service in the previous 12 months. There was no significant variation between adults in urban areas and rural areas, or among health areas.

A lower proportion of adults in the 2 least disadvantaged quintiles (1.9 per cent and 3.0 per cent), and a higher proportion of adults in the most disadvantaged quintile (6.8 per cent), attended a public dental service.

There has been no significant variation in the proportion of adults attending a public dental service between 1998 and 2006.

Rating of public dental service care

Those who attended a public dental service were asked to rate the care they received. Overall, 25.7 per cent rated their care as excellent, 29.2 per cent as very good, 29.3 per cent as good, 10.0 per cent as fair, and 5.8 per cent as poor. Responses of excellent, very good, and good were combined into a positive rating of care.

Overall, 84.2 per cent of adults rated their care positively. There was no significant variation between males and females, or among age groups.

There was no significant variation between adults in rural areas and urban areas; however, a higher proportion of adults in the Northern Sydney & Central Coast Health Area (94.3 per cent) rated their care positively.

There was no significant variation in ratings of positive care by level of socioeconomic disadvantage.

Overall, the proportion of adults who rated their public dental service care positively has not varied significantly between 2002 and 2006.

The main reasons for rating care as fair or poor were: insufficient services (43.5 per cent), poor technical skill of clinical staff (24.9 per cent), waiting time for an appointment (21.0 per cent), and poor attitude of clinical staff (14.8 per cent).

Graphs

Source:	New South Wales Population Health Survey 2006 (HOIST). Centre for Epidemiology and Research, NSW Department of Health.
Print version:	Although this page can be printed directly from your web browser, a higher quality version is available as a PDF file that can be printed or viewed on screen.
Produced by:	Centre for Epidemiology and Research, Population Health Division, NSW Department of Health.
Last updated on:	1 July 2007