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Dental professionals’ perspectives working with Aboriginal children in Western Australia: a qualitative study
Author(s) -
Durey A,
Hearn L,
Lund S,
O’Grady M,
SlackSmith L
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
australian dental journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.701
H-Index - 71
eISSN - 1834-7819
pISSN - 0045-0421
DOI - 10.1111/adj.12819
Subject(s) - medicine , nonprobability sampling , context (archaeology) , mainstream , nursing , qualitative research , socioeconomic status , family medicine , grounded theory , oral health , health professionals , cultural competence , health care , dental care , psychology , population , sociology , environmental health , pedagogy , political science , paleontology , social science , law , biology
Background The disproportionate burden of oral disease in Aboriginal children and the issues in accessing mainstream dental services are well documented. Yet little is known about dental professionals’ perspectives in providing oral care for Aboriginal children. This paper presents findings from a study exploring such perspectives. Methods Semi‐structured interviews were carried out in Western Australia following purposive sampling of non‐Aboriginal dentists, dental clinic assistants (dental nurses) and oral health therapists/dental hygienists. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed guided by grounded theory for key themes related to the topic. Results Findings included a service delivery model sometimes unresponsive to Aboriginal families’ needs; dental professionals’ limited education and training to work with confidence and cultural sensitivity with Aboriginal patients and socioeconomic influences on Aboriginal children’s poor oral health considered outside dental professionals’ remit of care. Discussion Findings suggest oral health policies and practices and dental professionals’ education and training need reviewing for how well such policies support dental professionals in an Aboriginal context. This includes engaging with Aboriginal stakeholders, working effectively with Aboriginal families, and developing shared understandings about what is needed to increase access to care and improve oral health outcomes for Aboriginal children.