ArticleAustralian dental journal2025
Australian dental practitioner attitudes to expanding Medicare to include more dental services.
Article in Australian dental journal, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Breaking the silos: a systematic review of oral health integration strategies for improved oral health and cardiovascular outcomes.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Article
- A qualitative evaluation of patient experiences of receiving endodontic treatment through the Sydney Local Health District Endodontic Access Scheme (SEAS).BMC oral health · 2026Article
- Supercharged Smiles: A Discourse Analysis of Australian Media Coverage of Funding Dental Care Through Superannuation.Australian dental journal · 2025Article
- Control, access and professionalism: a qualitative evaluation of Australian dental practitioners attitudes to expanding medicare to include more dental services.BMC oral health · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe exclusion of dentistry from Medicare in Australia means there is limited public funding available to address widespread disparities in access to dental care, which is provided predominantly by private practitioners. The aim of this study was to investigate dental practitioners' attitudes towards expanding Medicare to include more dental services.
methodsAn online survey was distributed to Australian dental practitioners between November 2024 and February 2025. The survey collected demographic information and assessed support for various models of Medicare expansion and perceptions related to affordability and access.
resultsA total of 447 dental practitioners completed the survey. Overall, 64.7% supported expanding Medicare to include more dental services, with higher support amongst females, non-dentists (oral health therapists, dental therapists, dental hygienists and dental prosthetists), those with more experience, and practitioners in regional/remote areas or the public sector. Respondents reported a significant proportion of their patients faced challenges affording dental care. Practitioners favoured means-tested and capped schemes that included diagnostic, preventive, restorative and periodontal treatments. Tensions between social responsibility and business imperatives were evident, with concerns raised about the impact on income, potential for overservicing, and the need for appropriate oversight.
conclusionThere was strong support from dental practitioners for expanding Medicare to include more dental services, particularly to financially disadvantaged patient groups with targeted and capped schemes and a focus on essential dental care. This study reinforces the need to reform the dental care system in Australia and take steps towards universal health coverage for dental services to address disparities in access and health outcomes.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.