Association between patient age, geographical location, Indigenous status and hospitalisation for oral and dental conditions in Queensland, Australia

Liam Caffery, Natalie Bradford, Maria Meurer, Anthony Smith

A retrospective analysis of hospitalisation due to oral and dental conditions (ODC) was performed for patients in Queensland. The aim was to identify the rate and cost of hospitalisation and to examine the association between hospitalisation and age, geographical location and Indigenous status. There were 81528 admissions to Queensland's hospitals due to ODC during the 3-year study period (2011-2013). The annual cost of ODC-related hospitalisation was estimated to be AU$87million. Indigenous infants (Z=4.08, P<0.001) and primary school children (Z=2.01, P=0.046) were significantly more likely to be hospitalised than their non-Indigenous counterparts. A non-Indigenous high school child was almost fourfold more likely to be hospitalised. There was no significant difference in the rate of hospitalisation for adults. Infants (Z=6.70, P<0.001) and primary school children (Z=8.73, P<0.001) from remote areas were significantly more likely to be hospitalised than their age-matched metropolitan counterparts. Whereas high school children (Z=2.74, P=0.006) and adults (Z=6.02, P<0.001) from remote areas were significantly less likely to be hospitalised. Our findings suggest that there is a need for alternative models of primary dental care to service remote areas of Queensland and Indigenous populations. Strategies that enable Indigenous Health Workers to provide dental care, and the use of teledentistry, are models of care that may reduce potentially preventable hospitalisations and lead to cost savings and better health outcomes.