Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41863419›Full record

ArticleJournal of public health dentistry2026

Towards Prescribing Pathways for Oral Health Practitioners in Australia: Addressing Barriers to Patient-Centered Care.

W Carlson-Jones, T Acret, A Ayo, P Westhoff, L A Church, M Ratnaweera, B Christian, J Park, N Stormon

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of public health dentistry, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

W Carlson-JonesSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0884-9282
T AcretSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
A AyoSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
P WesthoffSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
L A ChurchSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
M RatnaweeraUWA Dental School, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
B ChristianSydney Dental School, Faculty of Medicine & Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5072-3512
J ParkCentre for Optimisation of Medicines, School of Health & Clinical Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2052-558X
N StormonSchool of Dentistry, Faculty of Health, Medicine & Behavioural Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0758-1605

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundOral health practitioners (OHPs) provide essential preventive, periodontal, and restorative treatment within diverse settings in Australia. Despite their significant contribution to oral healthcare, regulatory restrictions prevent OHPs from independent prescription of medicines, limiting efficiency, continuity of care, and patient access, particularly for underserved populations. ISSUE: Current prescibing limitations create structural barriers within oral healthcare delivery. In contrast, endorsed prescribing pathways have been successfully developed for other professions, including nurses, midwives, podiatrists, optometrists, and pharmacists, with nurse practitioners and dentists already holding established prescribing authority. APPROACH: This paper explores the case for an endorsed prescribing pathway for OHPs, drawing on national and international developments, patient equity considerations, and workforce reform. We argue that prescribing reform would strengthen patient-centered care, reduce structural barriers to access, and align OHP regulation with contemporary models of multidisciplinary healthcare. We also highlight necessary safeguards such as postgraduate training, regulatory oversight, and scope-appropriate medications to ensure safe and effective implementation.

conclusionAs independent practitioners, the persistence of restrictive prescribing frameworks for OHPs reflects outdated professional dominance rather than evidence-based workforce planning. Expanding prescribing rights for OHPs represents a logical evolution of their role and an opportunity to address entrenched oral health inequities.

Indexed as

Oral HealthPatient-Centered CareAustraliaHealth Services AccessibilityHumansNon-Medical Prescribingdental hygienistdental therapistendorsed pathwaysnonmedical autonomous prescribingoral health practitionersoral health therapistprescribing dental

Identifiers

PMID41863419
PMCPMC13241905

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Registered trials

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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.