Background: This study was designed to measure job satisfaction among registered clinical dentists so as to identify issues which may influence recruitment and retention of dentists in active clinical practice. Methods: A questionnaire measuring dimensions of job satisfaction was mailed to a stratified random sample of 80 private and 80 public sector dentists selected from the 1999 Victorian Dental Register. Results: An adjusted response rate of 60 per cent was achieved (n=87). Analyses showed significant differences (ANOVA; p<0.05) in levels of satisfaction for various dimensions of job satisfaction by gender, age group and practice type. Differences in job satisfaction between male and female dentists related to the personal time dimension. Differences in satisfaction between dentists of different age groups were attributable to six dimensions: relationships with colleagues, relationships with patients, relationships with staff, personal time, community and administrative responsibilities. Differences between levels of satisfaction among private and public dentists related to the autonomy, relationships with patients, pay and resources dimensions. Conclusion: There are various dimensions of job satisfaction that may be pertinent to issues influencing recruitment and retention of dentists. Differences that exist between levels of job satisfaction among private and public sector dentists, between male and female dentists and dentists of different age groups need to be addressed in order to improve recruitment and retention rates of dentists in active clinical practice in different sectors of the dental care system.

Private health insurance plays a key role in financing dental care in Australia. Having private dental insurance has been associated with higher levels of access to dental care, visiting for a check-up and receiving a favourable pattern of services. Associations with better oral health have also been reported. In the absence of any existing review, this paper aims to systematically review the relationship between dental insurance and dental service use and/or oral health outcomes in Australia. A systematic search of online databases and subsequent sifting resulted in 36 publications, 33 of which were cross sectional and three cohort analyses. Dental service outcomes were more commonly reported than oral health outcomes. There was considerable heterogeneity in the outcome measures reported, for both service use and health outcomes. Overall, the majority of the evidence was from cross sectional studies and few studies reported analyses adjusted for confounding factors. The consolidated evidence points towards a positive association between dental insurance and dental visiting. Dentally insured adults are likely to have more regular access to dental care and have a more favourable pattern of service use than the uninsured. However, evidence of associations between dental insurance and oral health are mixed.

Objective: Dental insurance status is strongly associated with service use. In models of dental visiting, insurance is typically included as an enabling factor. However, in Australia, people self‐select into health insurance (privately purchased) and levels of cover for dental services are modest. Rather than enabling access, insurance status may be a “marker” for unmeasured predisposing attitudes. This study aims to explore associations between dental insurance status and visiting while adjusting for dental care attitudes. Methods: Participants (South Australians aged 45‐54 years) of a 2‐year prospective cohort study (2005‐2007) investigating dental service use were surveyed on their attitudes to dental care and insurance status. Six attitudinal factors were assessed using a 23‐item Likert scale. Bivariate associations between insurance, attitudes, visiting, and other known covariates (age, sex, and household income) were explored. A series of regression models assessed whether prevalence ratios of visiting were attenuated after controlling for attitudinal factors. Results: Response rate was 85.0 percent. Analysis was limited to dentate adults with known dental insurance status (n = 529). The majority had dental insurance (75.2%) and made regular visits (63.7%). Insurance status, visiting, and attitudinal factors were significantly associated. Controlling for covariates, insured adults, compared with the uninsured, were 57 percent more likely to make regular visits. After adjusting for attitudinal factors, the significant association between insurance and visiting persisted. Conclusion: Dental care attitudes did not confound the association between dental insurance and visiting, indicating that dental insurance status was not a “marker” for predisposing attitudes.

For working age adults, oral health impact was associated with general health for those with more health problems indicating those in worse health suffer more impact from oral health problems.

BackgroundDental insurance and income are positively associated with regular dental visiting. Higher income earners face fewer financial barriers to dental care, while dental insurance provides partial reimbursement. The aim was to explore whether household income has an effect on the relationship between insurance and visiting.MethodsA random sample of adults aged 30–61 years living in Australia was drawn from the Electoral Roll. Data were collected by mailed survey in 2009–10, including age, sex, dental insurance status and household income.ResultsResponses were collected from n = 1,096 persons (response rate = 39.1%). Dental insurance was positively associated with regular visiting (adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) = 1.18; 95% CI: 1.01-1.36). Individuals in the lowest income tertile had a lower prevalence of regular visiting than those in the highest income group (PR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.65-0.93). Visiting for a check-up was less prevalent among lower income earners (PR = 0.65; 95% CI: 0.50-0.83). Significant interaction terms indicated that the associations between insurance and visiting varied across income tertiles showing that income modified the effect.ConclusionsHousehold income modified the relationships between insurance and regular visiting and visiting for a check-up, with dental insurance having a greater impact on visiting among lower income groups.