ObjectivesThe Teeth Tales trial aimed to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia.DesignAn exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from migrant backgrounds. Mixed method, longitudinal evaluation.SettingThe intervention was based in Moreland, a culturally diverse locality in Melbourne, Australia.ParticipantsFamilies with 1–4-year-old children, self-identified as being from Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani backgrounds residing in Melbourne. Participants residing close to the intervention site were allocated to intervention.InterventionThe intervention was conducted over 5 months and comprised community oral health education sessions led by peer educators and follow-up health messages.Outcome measuresThis paper reports on the intervention impacts, process evaluation and descriptive analysis of health, knowledge and behavioural changes 18 months after baseline data collection.ResultsSignificant differences in the Debris Index (OR=0.44 (0.22 to 0.88)) and the Modified Gingival Index (OR=0.34 (0.19 to 0.61)) indicated increased tooth brushing and/or improved toothbrushing technique in the intervention group. An increased proportion of intervention parents, compared to those in the comparison group reported that they had been shown how to brush their child's teeth (OR=2.65 (1.49 to 4.69)). Process evaluation results highlighted the problems with recruitment and retention of the study sample (275 complete case families). The child dental screening encouraged involvement in the study, as did linking attendance with other community/cultural activities.ConclusionsThe Teeth Tales intervention was promising in terms of improving oral hygiene and parent knowledge of tooth brushing technique. Adaptations to delivery of the intervention are required to increase uptake and likely impact. A future cluster randomised controlled trial would provide strongest evidence of effectiveness if appropriate to the community, cultural and economic context.Trial registration numberAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000532909).

A previously undocumented level of postnatal use of medical practitioner services is presented. It suggests a significant level of postnatal maternal and infant morbidity that requires further study.

IntroductionInequalities are evident in early childhood caries rates with the socially disadvantaged experiencing greater burden of disease. This study builds on formative qualitative research, conducted in the Moreland/Hume local government areas of Melbourne, Victoria 2006–2009, in response to community concerns for oral health of children from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Development of the community-based intervention described here extends the partnership approach to cogeneration of contemporary evidence with continued and meaningful involvement of investigators, community, cultural and government partners. This trial aims to establish a model for child oral health promotion for culturally diverse communities in Australia.Methods and analysisThis is an exploratory trial implementing a community-based child oral health promotion intervention for Australian families from refugee and migrant backgrounds. Families from an Iraqi, Lebanese or Pakistani background with children aged 1–4 years, residing in metropolitan Melbourne, were invited to participate in the trial by peer educators from their respective communities using snowball and purposive sampling techniques. Target sample size was 600. Moreland, a culturally diverse, inner-urban metropolitan area of Melbourne, was chosen as the intervention site. The intervention comprised peer educator led community oral health education sessions and reorienting of dental health and family services through cultural Competency Organisational Review (CORe).Ethics and disseminationEthics approval for this trial was granted by the University of Melbourne Human Research Ethics Committee and the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Research Committee. Study progress and output will be disseminated via periodic newsletters, peer-reviewed research papers, reports, community seminars and at National and International conferences.Trial registration numberAustralian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12611000532909).

Shared obstetric care between hospital and general practitioner (GP) is being developed in several States in Australia as an alternative model of care for pregnant women in the public hospital system. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes of participating GPs to the shared obstetric care programme at the Royal Women's Hospital, Melbourne. Fifty GPs were randomly selected, and face to face individual interviews were conducted using qualitative methods. GPs feel that the continuity of care they can provide during pregnancy and the postpartum is a very important and valuable aspect of their role as shared care providers. They are generally satisfied with the programme at the Royal Women's Hospital but some suggest that communication between the hospital and the GP should be improved. There was significant interest in being involved in deliveries in shared care programmes in the future and GPs question the appropriateness of the diploma of obstetrics as the only acceptable qualification for shared care.