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Cited by 36Dental Health and Care UtilizationGlobal Health Workforce IssuesDental Education, Practice, Research

"Sorry, I’m not a dentist": perspectives of rural GPs on oral health in the bush

Open access
Barnett, Tony, Hoang, Ha, Stuart, Jackie, Crocombe, Leonard·2016·Medical Journal of Australia
DOI 10.5694/mja15.00740
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine the provision of oral health and oral health service in rural areas from the perspective of general practitioners working in communities without resident dentists. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: A qualitative approach using face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 30 GPs from rural Queensland, Tasmania and South Australia, conducted between October 2013 and October 2014. RESULTS: Four major themes emerged from the interviews: rural oral health, managing oral health presentations, barriers to patients seeing a dentist, and improving oral health. Rural GPs saw patients with a range of oral health problems, including toothache, abscesses and trauma, and observed poor oral health in their communities. Some acknowledged that they were not confident when dealing with oral health problems; they typically provided short-term pain relief, prescriptions for antibiotics, and advised patients to see a dentist. Participants noted that rural patients may not see a dentist when advised to do so because symptoms had abated, oral health was regarded as a low priority, or the costs of travelling to and seeing a dentist discouraged them. The interviewees recommended building the capacity of GPs to better care for patients with oral health problems, establishing more effective communication and referral pathways between GPs and dentists, focusing on preventive dental care, and delivering dental services in more flexible and consistent ways that better meet the needs of the communities. CONCLUSIONS: Rural oral health could be improved by several approaches, including additional training for GPs in oral health care, primary prevention activities in communities, and improving the access to dental services.

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Crossref · 10.5694/mja15.00740

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Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Patients' problems seem to motivate confident practitioners to provide oral healthcare.

    “Patients’ problems seem to motivate confident practitioners to provide oral healthcare.”

    From Barriers and facilitators in the integration of oral health into primary care: a scoping review (2017) · cites this paper as [47]

  • Some publications reported that patients and most primary healthcare providers did not attribute value to continuity of care in oral health because oral health conditions are rarely life threatening.

    “Some publications reported that patients and most of the primary healthcare providers did not attribute value to continuity of care in the field of oral health because oral health conditions are rarely life threatening.”

    From Barriers and facilitators in the integration of oral health into primary care: a scoping review (2017) · cites this paper as [47]

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Authors
Barnett, T., Hoang, H., Stuart, J., & Crocombe, L.
Affiliations
  • University of Tasmania (AU)
  • Centre for Rural Health, University of Tasmania, Launceston, TAS
Corresponding author
Hoang, Ha
ORCID
Venue
Medical Journal of Australia
Publisher
AMPCo
Published
2016-01
Volume
204
Issue
1
Pages
26-26
ISSN
  • 0025-729X (ISSN-L)
  • 1326-5377
DOI
10.5694/mja15.00740
OpenAlex
W2480698121
Cited by
36
References
23
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 3 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 10 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1
FWCI
1.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • The Medical Journal of Australia (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • eCite Digital Repository (University of Tasmania) (submittedVersion)
  • Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Dentistry › Periodontics › Dental Health and Care Utilization
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Emergency Medical Services › Global Health Workforce Issues
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Dental Education, Practice, Research
Keywords
rural oral health, general practitioners, barriers to dental care, access to dental care, preventive dentistry, rural Australia, rural Queensland, Tasmania, South Australia
MeSH terms
Australia, Interviews as Topic, Oral Health, Patients, Rural Health Services, General Practice

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