Implementation And Sustainability Of Non-surgical Intervention For Dental Caries In General Dental Practice
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$390,388.00
Summary
Dentists in NSW and the ACT used new protocols to stop the spread of tooth decay. Many decayed teeth were then remineralised without the use of injections or drilling and filling. The process by which the dentists reorganised their practices to implement the protocols and how they explained them to their patients and practice staff will now be investigated to discover how best to promote their use Australia-wide. The sustainability and cost-effectiveness of this type of care will be measured.
Pulsed Laser Ablation Of Smear Layers In Root Canals
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$32,628.00
Summary
The project is in the general field of clinical dentistry, and in the speciality area of endodontics (root canal treatment). It examines the ability of several novel laser systems to remove bacteria and soft tissue debris from the root canals of teeth, building on recent developments in optical fiber technology and in antimicrobial therapy.
“Genetics, epigenetics, and the environment” is often used to describe a complex that results in the production of a phenotype; the latter two usually blamed with missing heritability. We know that the environment affects dental development and dental caries susceptibility, but we have little information about the precise molecular mechanisms linking the environment to observed phenotypes. This study interorgates the role of epigenetics in dental development and dental caries.
Impact Of Health Policy On The Delivery Of Dental Services And Child Oral Health Outcomes
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,304,799.00
Summary
This project will study the use of dental services by children and adolescents in Australia and how use relates to oral health outcomes. Variation in the support for the use of private dentists and the organisation and delivery of school dental services will be compared both within and across all states and territories so as to inform policy discussions on how to best improve child oral health.
Minimally Invasive Approach To Manage Early Childhood Caries In Aboriginal Preschoolers
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,488,220.00
Summary
The treatment of dental decay in young children is often undertaken in a hospital, which is costly and risky. A treatment approach tested among a non-Aboriginal preschool population in WA, using hand instruments only and without the use of local anaesthesia, showed nearly a ten-fold reduction in the need for specialist dental care. This study will test the effectiveness of dental treatment of preschool children in rural and remote Aboriginal communities, using the alternative approach.
Determinants Of Inequality In Child Oral Health At School Age–A Prospective Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,229,853.00
Summary
This study aims to examine effects of socioeconomic circumstances as determinants of child oral health conditions, which can be mediated by dietary patterns, use of fluoride and dental service.
Is Non-invasive Management Of Dental Caries In Private Practice Cost-effective? A Randomized Controlled Trial
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$325,136.00
Summary
Despite evidence to the contrary, dentists routinely fill decayed teeth that, managed preventively, would be likely to repair (arrest). The probable cost to society of this approach is enormous. Modeling indicates that each new dental filling is likely to cost an average of $1811 (US) over the life-cycle of a tooth. This figure includes re-treatment costs, and the increased likelihood of more expensive re-treatment in future, such as root canal treatment and tooth crowning. An examination of the ....Despite evidence to the contrary, dentists routinely fill decayed teeth that, managed preventively, would be likely to repair (arrest). The probable cost to society of this approach is enormous. Modeling indicates that each new dental filling is likely to cost an average of $1811 (US) over the life-cycle of a tooth. This figure includes re-treatment costs, and the increased likelihood of more expensive re-treatment in future, such as root canal treatment and tooth crowning. An examination of the societal costs involved is likely to reveal this amount to be an under-estimate; consider the costs borne by sectors outside health: days lost to work, lost productivity. Further, we should consider costs to families: travel time and costs, childcare, the opportunity cost of items forgone in order to pay for the dental treatment. Despite this, a recent systematic review of dental caries prevention concluded 'there is presently no proof, in published economic evaluations of the cost-effectiveness of caries-preventive measures'. The authors highlighted a lack of methodologically sound studies. This research will compare a targeted preventive program to standard care within private dental practices. Prior to an alternative approach being introduced, an assessment of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness is needed. It is through such assessment that the value of the comparator can be assessed and our precious health dollars saved. The radical surgical approach (filling) that evolved to deal with the caries problem is entrenched in both public and private institutions that teach and deliver dental care. The strategic element is to reorient the services provided by general practices towards to goal of delivering a substantial reduction in the need to drill teeth, while maximizing the opportunity for a non-invasive remineralization approach that has been successfully demonstrated in in-vitro, in-vivo, and in small scale clinical trials.Read moreRead less