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Background: Jazan region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has been extensively studied regarding access to dental care services, but there is currently no specific study on the distribution of public (primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and hospitals) and private dental healthcare facilities in the area. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial distribution of public and private dental care facilities in the Jazan region in relation to the population distribution in each governorate of the region., Methods: The most up-to-date, easily accessible, and anonymous data and information were used for this investigation. The Ministry of Health's (MOH) Statistical Yearbook 2020 and interactive map were used to identify the locations of healthcare facilities. These locations were plotted on a map using Google Maps, and the data was converted to longitude and latitude with 90% level building accuracy. QGIS's integrated database was used to develop buffer zones and perform attribute analysis. The data was then exported for analysis in Microsoft Excel, where healthcare facility-to-population ratios were determined., Results: In Jazan region, consisting of 17 governorates and a population of 1,726,739, there were 275 public and private dental clinics, with a ratio of one dental clinic per 6,279 people in terms of general health services. Only 12.4% of these clinics were located beyond 20 km of the city centre, serving approximately 70% of the region's population., Conclusion: The uneven distribution of dental clinics in the Jazan region has hampered access to dental treatments and has led to a significant burden on dental health facilities, reducing the quality of care available in the region. Mapping the distribution of MOH, private, and other health facilities, as well as the burden of oral disease in the Jazan region, is necessary for further research., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective The aim of this study was to identify the gaps in public dental service locations for people living with a disability in Australia, with in-depth analysis of Western Australia (WA). Methods Data from the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers and national census data were used to geographically model the prevalence of disability. Private and public dental practice data were integrated using QGIS, and a catchment area of 5km was used for public dental practices. This was then used to identify residential areas outside the 5-km catchment area. Further analysis was then done to determine how a potential service at these sites would improve geographic access for people with a disability residing within the area. Results In this study, 6162 private and 178 public dental practices were geo-coded, covering 39915 Statistical Area Level 1 regions and approximately 16 million people. Overall slightly more than half the people living with any disability resided within the 5-km catchment area of a public dental practice. WA (Perth) had the lowest coverage (48%), whereas New South Wales (Sydney) had the highest (71%). In WA (Perth), four sites were identified that would improve the overall coverage from 48% to 75%. Conclusion This study highlights the areas where there is low access to a dental service, particularly access to a public dental service, for people living with a disability. What is known about the topic? The distribution of people with a disability is associated with area-level measures of socioeconomic disadvantage. Access to dental care is a function of affordability, availability, accessibility, accommodation and acceptability. Previous studies identified problems in relation to access to dental care for people living with a disability, including wait times, costs and physical access to buildings. What does this paper add? This paper shows how geographical access to a dental service can be improved, by locating services in identified areas targeting people living with a disability. What are the implications for practitioners? The results of this study could be used to plan funding targeted at areas of need with a high burden of disease and low accessibility to services.

Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse, in detail, the distribution of primary dental clinics in relation to the Malaysian population and relative population wealth, to test the hypothesis that an uneven distribution of dental services exists in Malaysia., Method: This 2016 study located every dental practice in Malaysia (private and public) and mapped these practices against population, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools. Population clusters within 5, 10 and 20 km of a dental clinic were identified, and clinic-to-population ratios were ascertained. Population data were obtained from the Population and Housing Census of Malaysia 2010. Population relative wealth was obtained from the 2014 Report on Household Income and Basic Amenities Survey for Malaysia. The physical address for each dental practice in Malaysia was gathered from the Official Portal of Ministry of Health Malaysia. All data for analysis were extracted from the integrated database in Quantum GIS (QGIS) into Microsoft Excel., Result: The population of Malaysia (24.9 million) was distributed across 127 districts, with 119 (94%) having at least one dental clinic. Sixty-four districts had fewer than 10 dental clinics, and 11.3% of Malaysians did not reside in the catchment of 20 km from any dental clinic. The total dental clinic-to-population ratio was 1:9,000: for public dental clinics it was 1:38,000 and for private clinics it was 1:13,000., Conclusion: Dental services were distributed relative to high population density, were unevenly distributed across Malaysia and the majority of people with the highest inaccessibility to a dental service resided in Malaysian Borneo., (© 2018 FDI World Dental Federation.)

Australians are one of the healthiest populations in the world but there is strong evidence that health inequalities exist. Australia has 23.1 million people spread very unevenly over -20 million square kilometres. This study aimed to apply spatial analysis tools to measure the spatial distribution of fixed adult public dental clinics in the eight metropolitan capital cities of Australia. All population data for metropolitan areas of the eight capital cities were integrated with socioeconomic data and health-service locations, using Geographic Information Systems, and then analysed. The adult population was divided into three subgroups according to age, consisting of 15-year-olds and over (n = 7.2 million), retirees 65 years and over (n = 1.2 million), and the elderly, who were 85 years and over (n = 0.15 million). It was evident that the States fell into two groups; Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory and Western Australia in one cluster, and Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia in the other. In the first group, the average proportion of the population of low socioeconomic status living in metropolitan areas within 2.5 km of a government dental clinic is 13%, while for the other cluster, it is 42%. The clustering remains true at 5 km from the clinics. The first cluster finds that almost half (46%) of the poorest 30% of the population live within 5km of a government dental clinic. The other cluster of States finds nearly double that proportion (86%). The results from this study indicated that access distances to government dental services differ substantially in metropolitan areas of the major Australian capital cities.

The aim of this study was to develop a method for the analysis of the influence of public transport supply in a large city (Melbourne) on the access to emergency dental treatment. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools were used to associate the geographical distribution of patients (and their socioeconomic status) with accessibility (through public transport supply, i.e. bus, tram and/or train) to emergency dental care. The methodology used allowed analysis of the socioeconomic status of patient residential areas and both spatial location and supply frequency of public transport by using existing data from patient records, census and transport departments. In metropolitan Melbourne, a total of 13 784 patients met the inclusion criteria for the study sample, of which 95% (n = 13 077) were living within a 50 km radius of the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. Low socioeconomic areas had a higher demand for dental emergency care in the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. Public transport supply was similar across the various socioeconomic strata in the population, with 80% of patients having good access to public transport. However, when considering only high-frequency bus stops, the percentage of patients living within 400 m from a bus stop dropped to 65%. Despite this, the number of patients (adjusted to the population) coming from areas not supplied by public transport, and from areas with good or poor public transport supply, was similar. The methodology applied in the present study highlights the importance of evaluating not only the spatial distribution but also the frequency of public transport supply when studying access to services. This methodology can be extrapolated to other settings to identity transport/access patterns for a variety of services.

Aim: To investigate the distribution of public and private dental practices in NSW in relation to population distribution and socioeconomic status., Methods: Dental practices (public and private) were mapped and overlayed with Census data on Collection District population and Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA)., Results: Overall, there was an uneven geographic distribution of public and private dental practices across NSW. When the geographic distribution was compared to population socioeconomics it was found that in rural NSW, 12% of the most disadvantaged residents lived further than 50km from a public dental practice, compared to 0% of the least disadvantaged. In Sydney, 9% of the three most disadvantaged groups lived greater than 7.5km from a public dental practice, compared to 21% of the three least disadvantaged groups., Conclusion: The findings of this study can contribute to informing decisions to determine future areas for focus of dental resource development (infrastructure and workforce) and identifying subgroups in the population (who are geographically isolated from accessing care) where public health initiatives focused on amelioration of disease consequences should be a focus.

Introduction: The aim of the study was to project hospitalisation rates for the surgical removal of impacted teeth across Australia, based on Western Australian statistics., Methods: Population data were obtained from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and were divided across Australia by statistical local area and related to a validated socioeconomic index. Every episode of discharge from all hospitals in Western Australia for the financial years 1999/2000 to 2008/2009 indicating an impacted/embedded tooth removal as the principle oral condition, as classified by the International Classification of Disease (ICD-10AM), was included in the study. Hospitalisation data were obtained from the Western Australian Hospital Morbidity Data System. Variables of age, place of residence and health insurance status were utilised for projecting the Western Australian rates across Australia., Results: The results of the study showed a definite rural-urban divide and the estimated age-adjusted rates were almost three times greater in the higher socioeconomic areas when compared to their poorer counterparts. The costs of the procedure were estimated to be approximately $60 million per annum across Australia., Conclusion: The findings of this study can be used to inform health policy to guide proper allocation of resources and target services for the benefit of the community especially those residing in rural and remote areas in a vast country like Australia.

Objectives: New Zealand is a country with a relatively small population (4 million people) distributed unevenly over a relatively large land area. Adult oral health services in New Zealand are almost all delivered through a market-driven, private practice model and are funded directly by patient payments. Little attention has been given to the distribution of these services. This study reports the findings of a high-acuity examination of the distribution of private dental practices in New Zealand, using modern geographic information system (GIS) tools., Methods: A total of 1,045 private dental practices in New Zealand were geocoded. These dental practices overlaid 1,909 area units., Results: The highest practice: adult population ratios found in this study reflected the areas with the highest population densities of Maori and Pacific Islander people., Conclusions: Oral health has a substantial impact on health-related quality of life and the utilisation of dental care services can contribute to its improvement. As such, it is expected that access to care should be focused on the population groups with the highest degree of need. However, in a market-driven, mostly private practice model, such as that in New Zealand, available care is concentrated largely in areas of high socioeconomic status and in populations with lower levels of oral disease., (© 2012 FDI World Dental Federation.)

Objective. This study aimed to map the geographic distribution of tertiary hospitals in Australia’s most populous cities. Good access to hospital facilities improves the health and welfare of a community. The use of geographic information system (GIS) technology can assist in understanding spacial accessibility to services. Methods. Using Quantum GIS, a geodatabase was constructed to incorporate hospital locations and demographic distribution data throughout Australia’s 20 most populous cities. Data on the population’s age groups were integrated into the geodatabase to investigate the distribution of age groups and their utilisation of access to emergency departments in tertiary public health care. Overall this study reported the geospatial distribution of 89 tertiary hospitals and the demographics of the population in areas around these hospitals. Results. The majority of hospitals were located in the three most populated cities of New South Wales (NSW), Sydney, Wollongong and Newcastle, which contain a total of 32 hospitals, with 23 (72%) of the hospitals in Sydney. There were 7.8, 24.0, 53.4 and 81.0% of the population in NSW within 1.5, 3, 6 and 50 km of the hospitals, respectively. The second-highest number of hospitals was in Victoria (n = 22), with 18 (82%) hospitals located in Melbourne. This was followed by Queensland (n = 14), with eight (57%) hospitals located in Brisbane. Conclusions. The results indicate that 82.2% of the Australian population lives within a 50 km radius of a tertiary hospital, with NSW having higher age distribution percentages than the other states. The results of this study could be used to locate and improve areas of need with a high burden of disease and low accessibility to healthcare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study aimed to design a geographic theoretical model for school dental services (SDS) in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia (SA), using a geographic information system (GIS). The location of all primary public schools and the student population at each school were obtained from the General Administration of Education in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah Region website. The geographic modeling for SDS was analyzed using GIS according to two models. A scenario was developed to simulate the demand for dental care for the two models based on schoolchildren's estimated oral health profile. The areas with the higher number of schools; higher number of students; and dense child population as presented in the map suggest the future location of SDS. The total number of dentists required to work in SDS settings was 415 for the first model, and 277 for the second model. The suggested average number of dentists per district in the highest child population density districts is 18 dentists in the first model, compared to 14 in the second model. Establishing SDS is suggested as a solution to the persistently high prevalence of dental caries among schoolchildren in Al-Madinah and SA in general. A model was suggested for SDS with a guide of the proposed SDS locations and the number of dentists to hire for the services to meet the child population's oral health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyse and map the distribution of the ageing population, by sociodemographic profiling, in private and public dental practices in Australia. Background: The rapid increase in the aged population in Australia requires a comprehensive approach to ensure accessibility to geriatric dental services. However, the availability of dental services for the older people requires further investigation of the demographic distribution of need. Materials and Methods: Dental practices were located and mapped against the ageing population data. The address for each dental practice in Australia was compiled from online access sources. Australian socioeconomic data were integrated with dental practices, clinic locations and older populations using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Results: There was an uneven distribution of dental practices across Australia's States and Territories (NT and ACT). Tasmania had the highest ratio of private practices to the older population (1:1000) and the highest percentages of this ageing cohort (32%, 61%) that lived more than 5 km from private and public dental practices respectively. Higher percentages of dental practices were located in areas of lower socioeconomic status in Tasmania, Queensland and South Australia (47%, 42% and 38%) respectively, however, these areas were associated with higher ageing population densities. Conclusion: There is a geographic maldistribution of dental practices in relation to the spatial distribution of Australia's older population, with the inequity most pronounced in the most disadvantaged areas. This inequality requires a National approach to match dental services to the population that they serve. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study focused on the Jazan region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. To date, there has not been any documented evidence about geographical distribution of dental health-care services in the region. The study aimed to assess the geographical accessibility of dental health-care services in Jazan. Materials and Methods: Most recent, openly accessible, nonidentifiable data and information were used in this study. The location of health facilities was obtained from the Ministry of Health (MOH) Statistical Yearbook 2020 and interactive map of the MOH, which was converted to longitude and latitude, using Google Maps with 90% of the level building. The study data to be analyzed were imported from the integrated database in Quantum Geographic Information Systems into Microsoft Excel software, where the ratios of health-care facilities to the study population were computed. Results: There were 145 primary health cares (PHCs) and 19 hospitals with a dental component in the Jazan region of 17 governorates with a total of 1,726,739 residents. The overall PHC-, hospital-, and dentist-to-population ratios were 1 PHC to 114,365 residents, 1 hospital to 90,881 residents, and 1 dentist to 9136 residents. Only 14.5% of PHCs and 5.6% of the hospitals served 70% of the population who are living within 20 km from the governorate's center. Conclusion: This study shows that irregular distribution of health services has led to decreased access to services in the region. Further research is needed focusing in mapping MOH, private and other health facilities, and the burden of oral disease in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the spatial accessibility of podiatry services to aged people living in the Greater Perth area, and access to these services for people from different socioeconomic groups, using geographic information systems (GIS). All persons older than 65 years (n=216 062) were included in the study and divided into two subgroups (retirees and elders) by age. Census data, bus stops (high and medium accessible stops) and train station data were integrated with GIS to analyse population spatial accessibility. The study found that most of the aged population resided within 2 kilometers of podiatry clinics, and the podiatry services are well distributed. In terms of access to buses, around three-fifths of aged people lived within 1 kilometer of high-access bus stops, and more than four-fifths of this population resided within 1 kilometer of medium-access bus stops. The distribution of podiatrists among people from different socioeconomic areas showed the density of podiatry services was higher in more affluent areas, therefore, the Inverse Care Law is evident in access to podiatry services in the Greater Perth region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the spatial accessibility of the aged and older adult population of the greater Sydney region to the bus public transport network, and the proximity of this transportation route to public and private dental services. Methods: This study used geographic information systems (GIS) to examine, at a population level, the spatial accessibility of the public transport network and dental provider locations. The prime focus of the present study was on the aging population residing within 50 km of the General Post Office of metropolitan Sydney. Retirees (aged ≥65 years) and older adults (aged ≥85 years) were the two subsets of the aging population. Results: Sydney's bus network is currently supplying bus transport to both older and disadvantaged groups, facilitating the needs of more than half a million older people. Regardless of socioeconomic status, 12% of the entire population, 11.5% of retirees and 10.8% of older adults resided 500 m away from accessible medium-frequency bus stops. Approximately 40% of the overall population consisted of people of lower socioeconomic status living within 500 m of a medium-frequency bus stop, whereas 60% of the population were of a high socioeconomic status and lived within 500 m of a medium-frequency bus stop. Conclusion: Metropolitan Sydney has a transport system that is substantial and robust, and appears to offer relatively similar spatial accessibility for all socioeconomic groups. This system is an example of great urban planning, where the distribution of bus stops is evenly positioned in both high-density areas and areas of low socioeconomic status. What is known about the topic?: Older adults and disadvantaged people suffer from higher levels of dental disease compared with the rest of the population. Older adults and disadvantaged people are more likely to rely on public transport to access healthcare services, including dental care. The Australian population is aging rapidly. What does this paper add?: Although a previous study examined the accessibility to services via the train network, this is the first analysis of the spatial accessibility to dental services via the bus network in Sydney. Most older adults and disadvantaged people in Sydney enjoy acceptable spatial access to the public transport network, and thereby to dental practices. Urban planning, in terms of determining healthcare service locations and the public transport network, needs to consider the distribution of older adults and disadvantaged populations. What are the implications for practitioners?: Practitioners are more likely to attract older adult patients to their practices or clinics if these are located within easy access to the public transport network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The study aimed to use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to investigate the spatial distribution of the concentration of fluoride (F) in groundwater resources of Sri Lanka, and the geographic accessibility to an alternative water source having a low or safe F limit to mitigate dental fluorosis. Methods: The study used randomly collected (6107) groundwater samples from Sri Lanka and categorized them as "dentally optimal" and "unsafe" based on their F content. The minimum distance from an identified high F source (above dentally optimal level) to a safe groundwater source was determined using geospatial analysis. Results: Dentally optimal F sources (<1 and <1.5 mg/L) were identified among the high F groundwater sources (>2 mg/L), some even within a walking distance of 500 m. Results indicated that 26% of dentally unsafe groundwater sources (2.0 mg/L+ wells) had a low F source (<1.0 mg/L) available within a distance of 500 m. It was also evident that 39% of high F wells (2.0 mg/L+ wells) had a low F well (<1.5 mg/L) within a distance of 500 m, if the WHO guideline value for optimal F levels (1.5 mg/L) was assigned as the safe F limit. Conclusion: The spatial approach demonstrated a reasonable access to alternative water sources with low or safe F limit in endemic fluorosis areas. Optimizing the use of accessible low F sources is highly recommended as the first‐line option to mitigate dental fluorosis in Sri Lanka since the defluoridation methods introduced in past did not provide sustainable oral health solutions for the inhabitants in high‐risk areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Objective: Advances in geospatial technologies have recognized the role of geographic distance as a barrier to healthcare accessibility. Frequent transportation is supposed to buffer issues with distance, while infrequent services impede the uptake of care. The role of public transportation on the accessibility of health care—including oral health care—is not well elucidated in the context of megacities, such as the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil. This study aimed to compare the supply of public transportation to primary dental clinics and the population between advantaged and disadvantaged areas in São Paulo city. Methods: A total of 4101 primary dental clinics in São Paulo city were identified and geocoded. Geographic coordinates were also retrieved for the 19 242 bus stops, 56 commuter rail stations and 64 rapid transit stations. Clinic locations and transport points were integrated with the city's 19 128 constituent census tracts—each containing sociodemographic data on the 11 252 204 residents—using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Results: Almost all clinics were located within 0.5 km of public transportation. Half of all clinics were within 0.5 km of high‐frequency transport points, and three‐quarters were within 1 km. Likewise, 99% of the population resided within 0.5 km of any public transportation. However, only 22% were within 0.5 km of high‐frequency options, and half were within 1 km. Those within 0.5 km of high‐frequency points had higher average monthly household incomes and lower illiteracy rates, with lower proportions of children and ethnic minorities, and higher proportions of older people. Conclusion: Clinics and populations in sociodemographically disadvantaged tracts have poorer public transportation links in São Paulo city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Geographic Information Systems have become an invaluable tool in many industries as it can help to conceptualise available data and answer questions visually. The software allows for integration of key statistics and geographic data for a more detailed analysis. The objective of this study was to show how mathematically weighted, publicly available, relevant demographics data can be integrated with Geographic Information Systems to identify and rank potential locations for new primary healthcare facilities. Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage was mathematically weighted with respect to the usual resident population and the number of people not in the labour force data, at Statistical Area level 1 (SA1). Smoothing was applied by repeating the process at Statistical Area level 2,3 and 4 to produce a quasi-index of priority. A total of 229 SA1 areas were identified and preselected as potential primary healthcare facility infrastructure sites across Australia. The quasi-index was incorporated into a Geographic Information System to produce a map identifying and ranking areas of relative need. Combining a mathematical approach with Geographic Information Systems can yield significant qualitative and quantitative advantages over conventional methods of site selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study examined the spatial accessibility of the Sydney Dental Hospital, to the people of metropolitan Sydney, using a geographic information systems approach.Background: Sydney, Australia's largest city and the state capital of New South Wales, has 4.6 million people, with one-fifth of the Australian population (4.6 million people). Public dental services exist, but accessibility is limited to some specific population groups, who meet specific eligibility criteria.Methods: All adults (those older than 15 years) were included in the study, and two subsets of this population, retirees (older than 65 years) and elderly (older than 85 years), were also examined according to their proximity to the Sydney Dental Hospital, which is located immediately adjacent to the central train station. Census data (population data) and train station geo-coding data were integrated with high-resolution geographic information systems to analyse population spatial accessibility.Results: Irrespective of the socioeconomic status, it was found that 43% of all the adults, 42.5% of the retirees and 41.6% of elders lived 2 km away from the nearest train station. Two-thirds of those in lower socioeconomic status lived within 2 km of a train station, whilst half of those in the higher socioeconomic status groups lived within 2 km from a train station.Conclusion: Metropolitan Sydney is an example of good urban planning where train stations are appropriately placed in high population density and low socioeconomic areas. The same should be investigated in other major metropolises, especially those still in growth and planning transportation systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our study aimed to demonstrate the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess the distribution of public dental clinics in Sri Lanka by developing a baseline population based geographic model. Population data was obtained from the Population & Housing Census (2001) and socioeconomic data from the Household Income & Expenditure Survey (HIES) 2002. Public dental clinic locations were obtained from the office of the Chief Dental Officer. About 3 million people (11.7%) out of a total of 2.2 million lived in Divisional Secretariat (DS) divisions devoid of public dental clinics were further disadvantaged by poverty prevalence rates exceeding 30% in their respective divisions. Moreover, 14% of the total population lived in a DS division without a public dental clinic. Of people below the poverty line, about 2.76 million lived in DS divisions where there was no public dental clinic. Therefore, it is concluded that distribution of public dental clinics in Sri Lanka has obvious limitations in serving the rural poor. The spatial approach provides a useful decision-support tool in health informatics with an enormous potential to harness in equity based public health care planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]