Role of public transport in accessibility to emergency dental care in Melbourne, Australia

Abstract

The aim of this study was to develop a method for the analysis of the influence of public transport supply in a large city (Melbourne) on the access to emergency dental treatment. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools were used to associate the geographical distribution of patients (and their socioeconomic status) with accessibility (through public transport supply, i.e. bus, tram and/or train) to emergency dental care. The methodology used allowed analysis of the socioeconomic status of patient residential areas and both spatial location and supply frequency of public transport by using existing data from patient records, census and transport departments. In metropolitan Melbourne, a total of 13 784 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study sample, of which 95% (n = 13 077) were living within a 50 km radius of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. Low socioeconomic areas had a higher demand for dental emergency care in the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. Public transport supply was similar across the various socioeconomic strata in the population, with 80% of patients having good access to public transport. However, when considering only high-frequency bus stops, the percentage of patients living within 400 m from a bus stop dropped to 65%. Despite this, the number of patients (adjusted to the population) coming from areas not supplied by public transport, and from areas with good or poor public transport supply, was similar. The methodology applied in the present study highlights the importance of evaluating not only the spatial distribution but also the frequency of public transport supply when studying access to services. This methodology can be extrapolated to other settings to identity transport/access patterns for a variety of services.

The equity of access to primary dental care in São Paulo, Brazil: A geospatial analysis

“…Descriptive statistical analysesincluding practice-topopulation ratioswere conducted using Microsoft Excel (version 2016, Microsoft, Redmond, WA, USA). These methods were consistent with past papers resting upon descriptive statistics alone 16,17 .…”

Access to health care after dental trauma in children: A quantitative and qualitative evaluation

“…8 Oral healthcare system, insurance status, competence of health professionals, working hours, public transport, disabled children, economic and social barriers are identified as important factors for access to emergency dental care. 8,[18][19][20] A much lower level was found in this study, and significant clues were obtained to understand why.…”

“…Alnaggar and Andersson reported that treatment of traumatic dental injuries within the first hour was accessed by only 53% and reached an adequate treatment at a rate of 56% out of working hours . Oral healthcare system, insurance status, competence of health professionals, working hours, public transport, disabled children, economic and social barriers are identified as important factors for access to emergency dental care . A much lower level was found in this study, and significant clues were obtained to understand why.…”

Does public transportation improve the accessibility of primary dental care in São Paulo, Brazil?

“…Accordingly, it is possible that at‐risk populations—with infrequent transport options—are dissuaded from seeking appointments for urgent care in São Paulo city . By contrast, advantaged populations—with lower dental disease prevalence—typically live within walking distance of primary dental care, and likely have access to private transportation if seeking treatments further away …”

“…One problem faced by studies of public transportation supply is defining a meaningful standard of service. In Melbourne, Australia, a neighbourhood is considered to be serviced by public transportation if it is located within 0.4 km of a bus or tram stop, or 0.8 km of a train station . No such definitions were available for São Paulo city.…”