“Does this dental mob do eyes too?”: perceptions and attitudes toward dental services among Aboriginal Australian adults living in remote Kimberley communities

“Does this dental mob do eyes too?”: perceptions and attitudes toward dental services among Aboriginal Australian adults living in remote Kimberley communities Journal Article

BMC Oral Health

• Author(s): Patel, Jilen, Durey, Angela, Naoum, Steven, Kruger, Estie, Slack-Smith, Linda
• Published: 2021
• Volume: 21
• ISBN: 1472-6831

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Abstract: Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience significant disparities in oral health and there remains an urgent need to improve services to rural and remote communities. Quantitative research has typically been used to highlight the disease burden and severity experienced by those living in remote communities, but this data does little to explore the lived reality and psychosocial nuances that impact on care. The Kimberley region of Western Australia is home to over 150 Aboriginal communities spread out across 400,000 square kilometres. The success and sustainability of oral health services to these remote communities relies on respect and reciprocity achieved through shared knowledge, decision making and involvement of Aboriginal people in discussions around oral health services and their delivery. This, study aimed to investigate the perceptions and attitudes toward dental services among Aboriginal Australian families living in remote Kimberley communities.

• Urls: https://bmcoralhealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12903-021-02003-2
• Keywords: Aboriginal, Dental, Oral health, Perceptions, Service delivery, Treatment of skin diseases