Oral Health (Staff)

Project completion date:

The 'Filling the gap' project was one of 18 oral health projects Australia-wide to receive a strategic research development grant from the NHMRC Strategic Research Development Committee in 2002.

During the life of the project, two different models of oral health services delivered by public dental clinics in Tasmania were compared. The results of the study contributed to an evidence base for public oral health services and planning. The models were:

• Stage 1:
  Baseline public oral health services and practices: establishing baseline measurements of access, service provision , aspects of oral health outcomes, staff and patient experiences for existing adult public dental care with the dentist as sole treating clinician
• Stage 2:
  The intervention- Trial workforce period: repeating measurements for a pilot workforce model with dental care provided by oral health clinical teams (dentists and dental therapists who have completed a primary health care education program)