Regional use of the Australian Chronic Disease Dental Scheme

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a different number and type of services were provided in Australian regional areas under the Australian Government-funded Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS). DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of administrative payments data. SETTING: Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Patients receiving dental services under the Medicare CDDS. INTERVENTIONS: The CDDS. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Number and type of services. METHOD: CDDS service categories Australian Statistical Geography Standard (ASGS) regions were collected by the Australian Department of Human Services between 2008 and 2013 and compared by Australian Bureau of Statistics ASGS estimated resident regional 2011 population, and by employed number of dentists, dental specialists and dental prosthetists from the 2011 National Health Workforce Dataset. RESULTS: Number of services provided was greatest in major cities (79.0%), followed by inner regional (15.4%), outer regional (5.2%) and remote/very remote Australia (0.4%). Number of services per head of population decreased from 1.088 in major cities to 0.16 in remote/very remote areas. Number of services provided per dental practitioner showed minimal variation between major city (1672), inner (1777) and outer regional (1627) areas, but was lower in remote/very remote areas (641). Crown and bridge, periodontic, endodontic and removable prostheses per dental practitioner were most frequently supplied in the major cities, but restorative care and oral surgery were more frequently supplied in inner and outer regional areas. CONCLUSION: The number of CDDS services provided declined with regional remoteness. There was a marked difference in the utilisation of the scheme between major cities and remote/very remote areas in both number and type of service levels.