Background: Poor oral health is a chronic condition that can be extremely costly to manage. In Australia, publicly\nfunded dental services are provided to community members deemed to be eligibleââ?¬â?those who are socio-economically\ndisadvantaged or determined to be at higher risk of dental disease. Historically public dental services have\nnominally been allocated based on the size of the eligible population in a geographic area. This approach has\nbeen largely inadequate for reducing disparities in dental disease, primarily because the approach is treatment-focused,\nand oral health is influenced by a variety of interacting factors. This paper describes the developmental process of a\nmulti-dimensional community-level risk assessment model, to profile a communityââ?¬â?¢s risk of poor oral health.\nMethods: A search of the evidence base was conducted to identify robust frameworks for conceptualisation of risk\nfactors and associated performance indicators. Government and other agency websites were also searched to identify\npublicly available data assets with items relevant to oral diseases. Data quality and analysis considerations were\nassessed for the use of mixed data sources.\nResults: Several frameworks and associated indicator sets (twelve national and eight state-wide data collections\nwith relevant indicators) were identified. Determination of the system inputs for the Model were primarily\ninformed by the World Health Organisationââ?¬â?¢s (WHO) operational model for an Integrated Oral Health-Chronic\nDisease Prevention System, and Australiaââ?¬â?¢s National Oral Health Plan 2004ââ?¬â??2013. Data quality and access informed\nthe final selection of indicators.\nConclusions: Despite limitations in the quality and regularity of data collections, there are numerous data sources\navailable that provide the required data inputs for community-level risk assessment for oral health. Assessing risk in this\nway will enhance our ability to deliver appropriate public oral health care services and address the uneven distribution\nof oral disease across the social gradient.
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