Research focus leading to deadly dental service at home

A significant new research study is designing and assessing the benefits of a proposed new model of care in oral health services to be delivered in the home for First Nations people in Brisbane north and Moreton Bay.

Community and Oral Health Principal Research Fellow Nicole Stormon said the Deadly Dental Home study would trial oral health care created by and for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“At Metro North Health we are committed to ensuring First Nations people receive high-quality person-centred care that is culturally responsive and is designed to improve health and wellbeing,” Nicole said.

“Currently, attendance of First Nations people to general oral health appointments in Metro North is 13.1 per cent lower than the overall proportion of attendance for the adult service (16+ years age group).

“In Metro North, 74.1 per 100 appointments are attended by non-identified patients compared to 66.2 per 100 appointments for First Nations people.”

The study is identifying, then will lead to, delivery of comprehensive, coordinated and culturally appropriate oral health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

“Initially, the project aims to understand how the values of the dental home can be implemented into the dental system and improve access to care and prevention of dental disease,” Nicole said.

The research study has three phases including a completed co-design phase, which has involved the Metro North Community Health Elders Yarning Circle, members from the health service and consumers.

“We are also exploring the cultural awareness of dental and health practitioners potentially involved in the delivery of the proposed service, which will inform the development of education and training packages for implementation,” she said.

“A small-scale pilot of the dental home model of care will be conducted to assess implementation processes and impact on health outcomes, and lessons for an expansion of the service.”

Metro North Oral Health Service is collaborating with the University of Queensland, Griffith University and the CSIRO to analyse and deliver this unique and highly beneficial study.

“The pilot will be an implementation at selected oral health sites, with the intention of rolling out the model of care across the service once assessed and successfully completed,” Nicole said.

“The Deadly Dental Home service is a community-designed value-based model of care that leverages the resources within the dental system to embed cultural and social determinants in healthcare.”

The study is based on an effectiveness-implementation study, which investigates the effectiveness of an intervention and its outcomes based on a randomised controlled trial.