Oral health changes among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians: findings from two national oral health surveys

Abstract

Background: Historically, Indigenous Australians experienced poorer oral health than non-Indigenous Australians. We aimed to ascertain if Indigenous Australian oral health improved relative to non-Indigenous oral health between 2004-06 and 2017-18 National Surveys of Adult Oral Health (NSAOH). Methods: Both NSAOHs were population-based cross-sectional surveys of Australian adults aged 15 years or more. In both surveys, representative samples of adults were drawn through a three-stage, stratified sample design within metropolitan and regional areas in each state/territory. Frequencies of Indigenous and non-Indigenous self-reported and clinical oral health variables were ascertained, and differences calculated, between the 2004-06 and 2017-18 NSAOHs. Ninety five percent confidence intervals were calculated and weights were used to account for the complex sampling methodology of both surveys. Results: In 2004-06, 229 Indigenous and 13,882 non-Indigenous Australians provided self-report data, and 87 and 5418 of these had dental examinations, respectively. In 2017-18, 334 Indigenous and 15,392 non-Indigenous Australians provided self-report data, and 84 and 4937 of these had dental examinations, respectively. Between the surveys, relative to their non-Indigenous counterparts, Indigenous Australians experienced greater levels of; inadequate dentition (4.2%), experience of toothache (4.8%), problem-based dental attendance (4.5%) and 1+ teeth decayed, missing or filled (4.4%). Conclusions: The gap between poor self-reported and clinical oral health between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians was greater in the more recent survey.