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Background: Dementia prevalence is predicted to triple to 152 million globally by 2050. Alzheimer's disease (AD) constitutes 70% of cases. There is an urgent need to identify individuals with preclinical AD, a 10–20-year period of progressive brain pathology without noticeable cognitive symptoms, for targeted risk reduction. Current tests of AD pathology are either too invasive, specialised or expensive for population-level assessments. Cognitive tests are normal in preclinical AD. Emerging evidence demonstrates that movement analysis is sensitive to AD across the disease continuum, including preclinical AD. Our new smartphone test, TapTalk, combines analysis of hand and speech-like movements to detect AD risk. This study aims to [1] determine which combinations of hand-speech movement data most accurately predict preclinical AD [2], determine usability, reliability, and validity of TapTalk in cognitively asymptomatic older adults and [3], prospectively validate TapTalk in older adults who have cognitive symptoms against cognitive tests and clinical diagnoses of Mild Cognitive Impairment and AD dementia. Methods: Aim 1 will be addressed in a cross-sectional study of at least 500 cognitively asymptomatic older adults who will complete computerised tests comprising measures of hand motor control (finger tapping) and oro-motor control (syllabic diadochokinesis). So far, 1382 adults, mean (SD) age 66.20 (7.65) years, range 50–92 (72.07% female) have been recruited. Motor measures will be compared to a blood-based AD biomarker, phosphorylated tau 181 to develop an algorithm that classifies preclinical AD risk. Aim 2 comprises three sub-studies in cognitively asymptomatic adults: (i) a cross-sectional study of 30–40 adults to determine the validity of data collection from different types of smartphones, (ii) a prospective cohort study of 50–100 adults ≥ 50 years old to determine usability and test-retest reliability, and (iii) a prospective cohort study of ~1,000 adults ≥ 50 years old to validate against cognitive measures. Aim 3 will be addressed in a cross-sectional study of ~200 participants with cognitive symptoms to validate TapTalk against Montreal Cognitive Assessment and interdisciplinary consensus diagnosis. Discussion: This study will establish the precision of TapTalk to identify preclinical AD and estimate risk of cognitive decline. If accurate, this innovative smartphone app will enable low-cost, accessible screening of individuals for AD risk. This will have wide applications in public health initiatives and clinical trials. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT06114914, 29 October 2023. Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives To examine awareness of aged care home staff regarding daily food and fluid care needs of older people with dementia. Background Older people in residential care frequently are malnourished, and many have dementia. Staff knowledge of the food and fluid needs of people with dementia is limited. Qualitative research on this topic is scarce but can provide insight into how nutrition and hydration care may be improved. Design Qualitative, interview-based study. Methods Eleven staff in a range of positions at one care home were interviewed regarding their perceptions of current and potential food/fluid care practices. Transcripts were coded and analysed thematically. Results Key food and fluid issues reported by these staff members were weight loss and malnutrition, chewing and swallowing difficulties (dysphagia), and inadequate hydration. Staff identified a number of current care practices that they felt to be effective in facilitating older people's food and fluid intake, including responsiveness to their needs. Staff suggestions to facilitate food and fluid intake centred on improved composition and timing of meals, enhanced physical and social eating environment, and increased hydration opportunities. Staff commented on factors that may prevent changes to care practices, particularly the part-time workforce, and proposed changes to overcome such barriers. Conclusions Staff were aware of key food and fluid issues experienced by the older people in their care and of a range of beneficial care practices, but lacked knowledge of many promising care practices and/or how to implement such practices. Relevance to clinical practice Staff need to be supported to build on their existing knowledge around effective food and fluid care practices. The numerous ideas staff expressed for changing care practices can be leveraged by facilitating staff networking to work and learn together to implement evidence-based change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprofessional education (IPE) is recognized as a critical component in preparing students for effective interprofessional practice in health care. IPE is supported by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and students’ competence in interprofessional practice is expected by clinical supervisors for effective work in any setting, whether that setting is medically or educationally oriented. IPE thus needs to be integrated into the curriculum of academic programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders and supported by clinicians in the field. This short tutorial is designed to acquaint readers with the concept of IPE, the collaborative competencies that students develop, available learning models, the importance of measuring the effectiveness of any interprofessional intervention, and ongoing challenges that need to be addressed to facilitate the implementation of this valuable learning strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The health care needs of older adults can be complex and multifaceted. Safe, effective, equitable, and person-centered service provision relies on skilled interprofessional, team-based practice. Too often, students seeking a career specializing in gerontology are not exposed to such interprofessional, team-based learning and practice during their coursework. This article details the core interprofessional collaborative competencies that need to be an integral component of any program providing quality education on issues in aging. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Methamphetamine (meth) exposure during fetal development has the potential to adversely affect the development of multiple organ systems. An interdisciplinary case study of a 4-year 11-month-old child born to a mother addicted to meth revealed significant cognitive and communicative delays. Possible meth-related consequences for these delays included stroke in utero with associated hemiparesis and epilepsy, congenital eye dysfunction, recurrent middle ear infections, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), social adjustment problems, and parental neglect. An important additional finding was the child's nondietary iron deficiency anemia, which could contribute to or compound meth-related behavioral problems. The influence of chronic iron deficiency anemia on cognitive-communicative function speaks to the importance of including dietitians in the interdisciplinary team assessment of children exposed to meth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report describes the outcomes of a five-day, protocol-based interprofessional education (IPE) initiative to prepare undergraduate medical, nursing, and paramedic students for collaborative work with adults with dementia. Clinical placements provided a structured and supervised IPE experience for 127 students in two Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) in Hobart, Australia, during 2013 and 2014. The IPE activity was based on a seven-step protocol formulated by an interprofessional team of educators and aged care practitioners that revolved around collaborative assessments of adults with complex health needs. This article describes the IPE protocol and presents the results of a pre- and post-placement attitude questionnaire and knowledge quiz administered to evaluate student attitudes towards IPE and knowledge of dementia. Data suggest that a five-day, supervised, and protocol-based IPE experience in a dementia-care setting can inculcate positive changes in student attitudes about collaborative practice and may encourage dementia-related learning outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Service-learning (SL) is a relatively new pedagogical approach to facilitate student learning at the university level. In SL, students enrolled in an academic course provide a needed service to a community partner. Through guided reflection, students link classroom-based, theoretical knowledge with clinical applications. Students' active engagement in learning facilitates thinking critically, questioning assumptions, considering varying perspectives, and appreciating the civic purpose of their profession. This article describes three SL applications, in dysphagia, educational audiology, and augmentative and alternative communication. We explain the rationale for each, along with ways in which to measure the effects of SL on student learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 25-item survey was administered to 45 teachers to identify what they knew about Minimal Hearing Loss (MHL) and to verify or refute five possible misperceptions reported earlier by Goldberg and McCormick Richburg (2004). Results support the importance of an educational audiologist on the service delivery team to help teachers understand the ramifications of MHL and assist in meeting the educational and psychosocial needs of students with this type of loss. Results also suggest areas for in-service education for classroom teachers, especially regarding the issue of preferential seating. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article addresses five commonly stated misperceptions concerning the effects of minimal hearing loss on the education of children. Helping educators and other professionals recognize these and other possible misperceptions is the first step in appropriately educating children with minimal hearing loss. Making educators and other professionals aware of the need for proper diagnoses and management strategies is crucial for the achievement of effective educational outcomes for these children. Furthermore, resolving these misperceptions will assist in reducing the financial and psychosocial costs frequently associated with the education of these children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The landscape of service delivery is changing. By adopting an ordered, systematic approach to any change in service delivery, speech-language pathologists can facilitate needed changes, take leadership roles, and gain the necessary team and administrative support for collaborative and functional intervention under varied service-delivery models. This article proposes such a systems approach for dealing with change in the delivery of speech-language pathology services, particularly as it relates to implementing service delivery with speech-language pathology assistants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article identifies the potential challenges facing professionals who work or who plan to work with speech-language pathology assistants. Not all speech-language pathologists may agree on these challenges. Recognizing and addressing any challenge that may create a barrier to the effective employment of these assistants is critical in gaining team and administrative support for their successful inclusion in service provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyzed students' written reflections following their initial exposure to interprofessional teamwork in case-based problem-solving. A three-hour seminar featuring three sequenced scenarios was developed and offered 12-times over two semesters. A total of 305 students from a variety of healthcare programs worked together with standardized patients in an on-campus laboratory simulating hospital ward and rehabilitation settings. A thematic analysis of students' reflections showed that they valued the shared learning and realistic case study. However, they felt the experience would be strengthened by working in smaller, more representative teams that included students from medicine, psychology, and social work to enable more effective communication and comprehensive case discussion. While useful for future planning, the identified themes did not enable a comparative statistical analysis of what students found helpful and difficult and a re-coding of students' responses now is underway. Implications for measuring the effectiveness of future interprofessional case-based learning center on addressing the identified weaknesses, and establishing a research design that enables a comparison of pre- and post-seminar data, and the effectiveness of the IPE experience compared to profession-specific experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To evaluate the nutritional status and needs of a person with dementia living in an aged care home, including identification of barriers to, and effective strategies for, the provision of person‐centred care. Background: Nutrition and hydration care are integral to quality of life for adults with dementia, but there is little research on whether staff knowledge around effective care strategies for residents is translated into optimal care. Design Focused ethnographic single‐case design. Methods: The perspectives of the resident, her prime family member, and six care staff were triangulated through interviews, observation, document audit, and medical file review to investigate the resident's nutrition and hydration status and needs (October 2014‐April 2015). Results: During 3 years in care, this resident had lost weight steadily. Staff appeared attentive but did not maintain a systematic record of body mass index. At meals, staff encouraged eating but used ineffective strategies. Food was not served in ways that facilitated active participation. Eating and drinking were structured as tasks to be completed rather than activities to be enjoyed. Conclusion: This instrumental case study identified a task‐oriented, rather than person‐centred, approach to nutrition and hydration care, adversely affecting the resident's nutritional health and capability to participate actively. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Nutrition and hydration care are integral to quality of life for adults with dementia.Data are limited, but studies document that many point‐of‐care staff in aged care homes have limited knowledge of residents' nutrition and hydration needs and that evidence‐based and person‐centred care practices are not being followed in mealtime management.There is little research on whether staff knowledge around nutrition and hydration care strategies for residents is translated into optimal daily care.What this paper adds? It adds to the limited ethnographic research on nutrition care practices for aged care residents with dementia.This focused ethnographic single‐case description provides insight into key systematic barriers to person‐centred care and effective nutritional management that have wider relevance to the nutritional health of all residents.The case study identifies a task‐oriented, rather than person‐centred, approach to nutrition and hydration care, which adversely affects the resident's nutritional health and capability to participate actively.The implications of this paper: There are many opportunities for improved nutrition and hydration care practices in aged care homes, such as documentation of body mass index and facilitation of social engagement.While cachexia inevitably occurs in advanced dementia, it is important that nutritional status should not be further compromised by ineffective or inadequate care practices.The findings may be used as a basis for further research and to tailor education for aged care home staff to enhance nutrition and hydration care practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The oral health of many older Australians is poor and associated with many systemic health problems. However, nurses often have a limited understanding of the importance of oral healthcare for older people. This study aimed to investigate Australian nursing students' perception, knowledge, and attitude toward providing oral healthcare for older people and associated factors. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among final year nursing students studying at accredited nursing programs using an online self-reported 49-item survey. The data were analysed using univariate and bivariate analysis (t-test, ANOVA, Spearman's correlation test). Results: A total of 416 final-year nursing students from 16 accredited programs in Australia completed the survey. Mean scores showed that more than half of the participants felt they lacked confidence (55%, n = 229) and had limited knowledge about oral healthcare for older people (73%, n = 304); however, their attitude towards providing such care was favourable (89%, n = 369). A positive correlation was found between students' confidence in delivering oral healthcare to older people and their perceived knowledge (r = 0.13, p < 0.01). Results revealed a statistically significant positive association between students' experience in providing oral healthcare to older people and students' perception (t = 4.52, p < 0.001), knowledge (t = 2.87, p < 0.01), and attitude (t = 2.65, p < 0.01) mean scores in such care. Nearly 60% (n = 242) of participants received education/training in oral healthcare for older people at university, but this was often for less than one hour. Around 56% (n = 233) believed that the current nursing curriculum did not prepare them to provide effective oral healthcare to older people. Conclusion: Findings suggested a need for nursing curricula to be revised to include oral health education and clinical experience. Knowledge of evidence-based oral healthcare by nursing students may improve the quality of oral healthcare for older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most important and contested element of nursing identity may be the patient-centredness of nursing, though this concept is not well-treated in the nursing identity literature. More conceptually-based mapping of nursing identity constructs are needed to help nurses shape their identity. The field of computational text analytics offers new opportunities to scrutinise how growing disciplines such as health services research construct nursing identity. This paper maps the conceptual content of scholarly health services research in PubMed as it relates to the patient-centeredness of nursing. Methods: Computational text analytics software was used to analyse all health services abstracts in the database PubMed since 1986. Abstracts were treated as indicative of the content of health services research. The database PubMed was searched for all research papers using the term "service" or "services" in the abstract or keywords for the period 01/01/1986 to 30/06/2013. A total of 234,926 abstracts were obtained. Leximancer software was used in 1) mapping of 4,144,458 instances of 107 concepts; 2) analysis of 106 paired concept co-occurrences for the nursing concept; and 3) sentiment analysis of the nursing concept versus patient, family and community concepts, and clinical concepts. Results: Nursing is constructed within quality assurance or service implementation or workforce development concepts. It is relatively disconnected from patient, family or community care concepts. Conclusions: For those who agree that patient-centredness should be a part of nursing identity in practice, this study suggests that there is a need for development of health services research into both the nature of the caring construct in nursing identity and its expression in practice. More fundamentally, the study raises questions about whether health services research cultures even value the politically popular idea of nurses as patient-centred caregivers and whether they should. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The most important and contested element of nursing identity may be the patient-centredness of nursing, though this concept is not well-treated in the nursing identity literature. More conceptually-based mapping of nursing identity constructs are needed to help nurses shape their identity. The field of computational text analytics offers new opportunities to scrutinise how growing disciplines such as health services research construct nursing identity. This paper maps the conceptual content of scholarly health services research in PubMed as it relates to the patient-centeredness of nursing. Methods Computational text analytics software was used to analyse all health services abstracts in the database PubMed since 1986. Abstracts were treated as indicative of the content of health services research. The database PubMed was searched for all research papers using the term "service" or "services" in the abstract or keywords for the period 01/01/1986 to 30/06/2013. A total of 234,926 abstracts were obtained. Leximancer software was used in 1) mapping of 4,144,458 instances of 107 concepts; 2) analysis of 106 paired concept co-occurrences for the nursing concept; and 3) sentiment analysis of the nursing concept versus patient, family and community concepts, and clinical concepts. Results Nursing is constructed within quality assurance or service implementation or workforce development concepts. It is relatively disconnected from patient, family or community care concepts. Conclusions For those who agree that patient-centredness should be a part of nursing identity in practice, this study suggests that there is a need for development of health services research into both the nature of the caring construct in nursing identity and its expression in practice. More fundamentally, the study raises questions about whether health services research cultures even value the politically popular idea of nurses as patient-centred caregivers and whether they should. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The worldwide prevalence of dementia is rapidly rising. Alzheimer's disease (AD), accounts for 70% of cases and has a 10-20-year preclinical period, when brain pathology covertly progresses before cognitive symptoms appear. The 2020 Lancet Commission estimates that 40% of dementia cases could be prevented by modifying lifestyle/medical risk factors. To optimise dementia prevention effectiveness, there is urgent need to identify individuals with preclinical AD for targeted risk reduction. Current preclinical AD tests are too invasive, specialist or costly for population-level assessments. We have developed a new online test, TAS Test, that assesses a range of motor-cognitive functions and has capacity to be delivered at significant scale. TAS Test combines two innovations: using hand movement analysis to detect preclinical AD, and computer-human interface technologies to enable robust 'self-testing' data collection. The aims are to validate TAS Test to [1] identify preclinical AD, and [2] predict risk of cognitive decline and AD dementia.Methods: Aim 1 will be addressed through a cross-sectional study of 500 cognitively healthy older adults, who will complete TAS Test items comprising measures of motor control, processing speed, attention, visuospatial ability, memory and language. TAS Test measures will be compared to a blood-based AD biomarker, phosphorylated tau 181 (p-tau181). Aim 2 will be addressed through a 5-year prospective cohort study of 10,000 older adults. Participants will complete TAS Test annually and subtests of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Battery (CANTAB) biennially. 300 participants will undergo in-person clinical assessments. We will use machine learning of motor-cognitive performance on TAS Test to develop an algorithm that classifies preclinical AD risk (p-tau181-defined) and determine the precision to prospectively estimate 5-year risks of cognitive decline and AD.Discussion: This study will establish the precision of TAS Test to identify preclinical AD and estimate risk of cognitive decline and AD. If accurate, TAS Test will provide a low-cost, accessible enrichment strategy to pre-screen individuals for their likelihood of AD pathology prior to more expensive tests such as blood or imaging biomarkers. This would have wide applications in public health initiatives and clinical trials.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05194787 , 18 January 2022. Retrospectively registered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the perspectives of Australian nursing educators on the preparation of Bachelor of Nursing students for the care of older people's oral health. Background: The Australian population is ageing. Older people with poor oral health are at increased risk of worsening health and chronic disease conditions. Nurses can and need to take a leadership role in improving and maintaining older Australians' oral health in community, hospital, and residential care settings. Thus, it is important to investigate the perspectives of nursing educators on the preparation of nursing students for the care of older people's oral health. Study design and methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 13 participants, including course coordinators, lecturers, directors, and researchers at 10 universities delivering accredited Bachelor of Nursing programs across seven different states in Australia. Data were analysed thematically. Results: Four themes were identified in nursing educators' perspectives: (1) the education of nursing students in providing oral healthcare is important, (2) there are notable gaps in nursing students' oral health education, (3) there are both internal and external barriers to strengthening oral health education across nursing programs, and (4) there is a need to develop and promote a shared oral health curriculum that includes interprofessional education and collaborative practice. Inherent in these themes was the need for a clear definition of the role of nurses in oral healthcare. Discussion and Conclusion: It is recommended that administrators and policymakers develop nursing accreditation standards that specify the role of nurses in oral health education, and the scope of this education including interprofessional and collaborative practice, for the oral healthcare of older people. Infusing such standards in nursing curricula will better educate and prepare nursing students for effective practice and leadership in gerontological care. What is already known about the topic? * Older people frequently have oral diseases that adversely affect chronic health conditions and increase the risk of poorer general health. * Even though oral healthcare is an essential part of nursing for older people, the provision of such care is implied rather than stated specifically in Australian Nursing and Midwifery Accreditation Council (ANMAC) standards. What this paper adds: * The education and preparation of students to provide oral healthcare appears to be expected rather than required in Australian nursing curricula. Based on the perspectives of nursing educators, this paper suggests that many nursing students may not be well prepared to provide evidence-based oral care and lead oral health initiatives. The paper identifies ways these issues can be addressed. * The paper discusses the importance of developing and promoting a clear oral health curriculum that includes interprofessional collaborative practice to strengthen nursing students' education and prepare them to provide effective oral healthcare for older people. * The paper outlines a needed definition of the role of nurses in providing oral healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background aspiration pneumonia increases hospitalisation and mortality of older people in residential aged care. Objectives determine potentially pathogenic microorganisms in oral specimens of older people with aspiration pneumonia and the effect of professional oral care in reducing aspiration pneumonia risk. Data Sources PUBMED/MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, COCHRANE, PROQUEST, Google Scholar, Web of Science. Study Eligibility Criteria published between January 2001 and December 2019 addressing oral microorganisms, aspiration pneumonia, oral health and treatment. Participants people 60 years and older in residential aged care. Study Appraisal and Synthesis Methods the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale and the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Intervention Trials checklist. Results twelve studies (four cross-sectional, five cohort and three intervention) reported colonisation of the oral cavity of older people by microorganisms commonly associated with respiratory infections. Aspiration pneumonia occurred less in people who received professional oral care compared with no such care. Isolation of Candida albicans , Staphylococcus aureus , methicillin-resistant S. aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was related to mortality due to aspiration pneumonia. An interesting finding was isolation of Escherichia coli, a gut bacterium. Limitations more information may be present in publications about other co-morbidities that did not meet inclusion criteria. A high degree of heterogeneity prevented a meta-analysis. Issues included sampling size, no power and effect size calculations; different oral health assessments; how oral specimens were analysed and how aspiration pneumonia was diagnosed. Conclusions and Implications of Key Findings pathogenic microorganisms colonising the oral microbiome are associated with aspiration pneumonia in older people in residential care; professional oral hygiene care is useful in reducing aspiration pneumonia risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The recognised relationship between oral health and general health, the rapidly increasing older population worldwide, and changes in the type of oral health care older people require have raised concerns for policymakers and health professionals. Nurses play a leading role in holistic and interprofessional care that supports health and ageing. It is essential to understand their preparation for providing oral health care. Objective: To synthesise the evidence on nursing students’ attitudes towards, and knowledge of, oral healthcare, with a view to determining whether oral health education should be incorporated in nursing education. Methods: Data sources: Three electronic databases - PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL. Study eligibility criteria, participants and interventions: Original studies addressing the research objective, written in English, published between 2008 and 2019, including students and educators in undergraduate nursing programs as participants, and conducted in Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Study appraisal and synthesis methods: Data extracted from identified studies were thematically analysed, and quality assessment was done using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Results: From a pool of 567 articles, 11 met the eligibility criteria. Findings documented five important themes: 1.) nursing students’ limited oral health knowledge; 2.) their varying attitudes towards providing oral health care; 3.) the need for further oral health education in nursing curricula; 4.) available learning resources to promote oral health; and 5.) the value of an interprofessional education approach to promote oral health care in nursing programs. Limitations: The identified studies recruited small samples, used self-report questionnaires and were conducted primarily in the United States. Conclusions: The adoption of an interprofessional education approach with a focus on providing effective oral health care, particularly for older people, needs to be integrated into regular nursing education, and practice. This may increase the interest and skills of nursing students in providing oral health care. However, more rigorous studies are required to confirm this. Nursing graduates skilled in providing oral health care and interprofessional practice have the potential to improve the oral and general health of older people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To describe the characteristics of hospital admissions for dental conditions, by Australian Statistical Geography Standard remoteness area for the 5 years 2010/2011 to 2014/2015. Design: Retrospective analysis of preventable hospital admissions due to dental conditions. Setting: National data set provided by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Participants: Every hospital admission for patients who were admitted for dental conditions over five financial years, from 2010/2011 to 2014/2015. Main outcome measures: The number (and rate per 1000 population) of hospital admissions due to dental conditions in each Australian Statistical Geography Standard remoteness area (major city, inner regional, outer regional, remote and very remote). Results: There were 316 937 hospital admissions for dental conditions over the 5‐year period. The rate of potentially preventable dental hospital admissions ranged from an average of 2.5 per 1000 population in major cities to 3.2 in inner regional areas, 3.1 in outer regional areas, and 4.1 per 1000 in remote and very remote areas. The rate of admissions was highest among those aged 0‐14 years living in remote (9.0‐10.0 per 1000) and very remote (9.8‐12.5 per 1000) areas. Dental caries was the most common reason for admissions. Conclusions: There is an urgent need to address the social determinants of oral health in children aged 0‐14 years living in remote and very remote Australia. The delivery of mobile primary dental care services needs to be expanded in remote and very remote areas to prevent and treat dental caries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Over the past two decades, there has been a decrease in dental diseases in Australia; however, the number of preventable dental hospital admissions has not diminished. This review reports on the factors associated with preventable dental hospital admissions in Australia.Methods: A search of five databases was conducted using Medical subject headings/Emtree terms and Index terms. All original studies, published between January1965 and March 2018 in English, based on the Australian population, and examining the prevalence of oral conditions as a cause for emergency department presentations and hospital admissions were included. The mixed method appraisal tool was used to evaluate the included studies.Results: Eleven cross-sectional studies met inclusion and exclusion criteria. All the studies, except one from Tasmania, were from Western Australia. The most common reasons for preventable dental hospital admissions were dental caries, followed by embedded or impacted teeth. Malignant neoplasms were reported as main causes of preventable dental hospital admissions in the older population.Conclusions: Most studies on preventable dental hospital admissions were from one Australian state (Western Australia). Further research is required to determine the national prevalence and incidence of preventable dental hospital admissions. A periodic audit of preventable dental hospital admission data is needed for delivery of a fair and effective dental services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]