Patterns and predictors of public dental service utilisation among refugees in Victoria, Australia: a latent profile and multilevel analysis.
Dental Health Services
Latent class analysis
Multilevel analysis
Refugees
Services utilization
Journal
BMC oral health
ISSN: 1472-6831
Titre abrégé: BMC Oral Health
Pays: England
ID NLM: 101088684
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
04 04 2023
04 04 2023
Historique:
received:
04
11
2022
accepted:
15
03
2023
medline:
6
4
2023
entrez:
4
4
2023
pubmed:
5
4
2023
Statut:
epublish
Résumé
The purpose of the study was to explore, analyse, and describe the patterns of public dental service utilisation among the refugee populations in Victoria, Australia, and determine their predictors at the individual and contextual levels. Data on the refugees who attended Victorian public dental services between July 2016 to June 2020 was gathered from the Dental Health Program dataset. Latent profile analysis was used to identify discrete groups among the refugee clientele with similar mean utilisation patterns across six indicator variables describing the attributes of dental services received and the site of care provision, over the study period. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the individual and contextual level correlates of the identified utilisation patterns. Six distinct profiles of public dental service utilisation were identified among the study population (n = 25,542). The largest group comprised refugees predominantly using restorative services under general course of care (38.10%), followed by extraction services under emergency course of care (23.50%). Only a small proportion were estimated as having a higher mean utilisation of preventive services under general course of care (9.10%). Multilevel analysis revealed that the following variables had a significant association with refugee utilisation pattern: at the individual-level - demographic and ethnic attributes including age, gender, region of birth, preferred language for communication, use of language interpreter services, and type of eligibility card; at the contextual-level - characteristics of refugees' neighbourhood of residence including urbanicity, socioeconomic disadvantage, delivery of Refugee Health Program at the community health centres, and spatial accessibility to public dental services via driving and public transit modes of travel. The study represents a significant step towards the development of an evidence-based knowledge around public dental service utilisation among Victorian refugees. Overall, the study findings reiterate the critical need for targeted strategies to promote the importance of routine dental visits, oral disease prevention, and timely intervention among refugee groups.
Sections du résumé
BACKGROUND
The purpose of the study was to explore, analyse, and describe the patterns of public dental service utilisation among the refugee populations in Victoria, Australia, and determine their predictors at the individual and contextual levels.
METHODS
Data on the refugees who attended Victorian public dental services between July 2016 to June 2020 was gathered from the Dental Health Program dataset. Latent profile analysis was used to identify discrete groups among the refugee clientele with similar mean utilisation patterns across six indicator variables describing the attributes of dental services received and the site of care provision, over the study period. Multilevel multinomial logistic regression analysis was performed to examine the individual and contextual level correlates of the identified utilisation patterns.
RESULTS
Six distinct profiles of public dental service utilisation were identified among the study population (n = 25,542). The largest group comprised refugees predominantly using restorative services under general course of care (38.10%), followed by extraction services under emergency course of care (23.50%). Only a small proportion were estimated as having a higher mean utilisation of preventive services under general course of care (9.10%). Multilevel analysis revealed that the following variables had a significant association with refugee utilisation pattern: at the individual-level - demographic and ethnic attributes including age, gender, region of birth, preferred language for communication, use of language interpreter services, and type of eligibility card; at the contextual-level - characteristics of refugees' neighbourhood of residence including urbanicity, socioeconomic disadvantage, delivery of Refugee Health Program at the community health centres, and spatial accessibility to public dental services via driving and public transit modes of travel.
CONCLUSIONS
The study represents a significant step towards the development of an evidence-based knowledge around public dental service utilisation among Victorian refugees. Overall, the study findings reiterate the critical need for targeted strategies to promote the importance of routine dental visits, oral disease prevention, and timely intervention among refugee groups.
Identifiants
pubmed: 37016367
doi: 10.1186/s12903-023-02886-3
pii: 10.1186/s12903-023-02886-3
pmc: PMC10074673
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
201Informations de copyright
© 2023. The Author(s).
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