Dental & oral health

Stomatological preparations: amphotericin B.

Dollar amounts for different years that are adjusted to reflect the prices in a chosen reference year. This allows spending over time to be compared on an equal dollar-for-dollar basis without the distorting effects of inflation. The comparison will reflect only the changes in the amount of goods and services purchased - changes in the ‘buying power’ - not the changes in prices of these goods and services caused by inflation.

Expenditures reported for a particular year, unadjusted for inflation. Changes in current price expenditures reflect changes in both price and volume.

Primary or ‘baby’ teeth that erupt (that is, become visible in the mouth) during infancy. A child usually has 20 deciduous teeth.

A disease process that can lead to cavities (small holes) in the tooth structure that compromise both the structure and the health of the tooth, commonly known as tooth decay.

When a person has a dmft or DMFT score that is greater than zero, this is known as having dental caries experience.

Dental care medicines listed on the Dental Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits that have been prescribed by dentists for their patients and supplied by pharmacies.

Includes dentists, dental hygienists and dental specialists such as periodontists, orthodontists, and oral and maxillofacial surgeons.

Services that registered dental practitioners provide. These include oral and maxillofacial surgery items, orthodontic, pedodontic and periodontic services, cleft lip and palate services, dental assessment and other dental items listed in the MBS. The term covers dental services funded by health funds, state, and territory governments and also individuals’ out of pocket payments.

Having one or more natural teeth.

A state of complete loss of all natural teeth.

The process of shedding deciduous teeth and their replacement by permanent teeth.

The burden from dying prematurely as measured by years of life lost. Often used synonymously with YLL, and also referred to as life lost.

Visiting a dentist once or more a year, usually for a check up, and having a usual dental provider.

Materials applied to the pits and fissure surfaces of teeth to create a thin barrier, which protect the sealed surfaces from caries.

A naturally occurring trace mineral that helps to prevent tooth decay.

The FTE rate, number of FTE dental practitioners per 100,000 population, is a measure of supply. By defining supply in terms of the FTE rate, meaningful comparisons of supply can be made across geographic areas and over time.

A measure of gingivitis from 0 to 3, devised by Loe and Silness (1963), where:
0 = normal
1 = mild inflammation, no bleeding on probing
2 = moderate inflammation, bleeding on probing
3 = severe inflammation, tendency to spontaneous bleeding
 

Redness, swelling or bleeding of the gums caused by inflammation.

One or more persons, at least one aged 15 years or over, usually resident in the same private dwelling.

Fewer than 21 natural teeth present.

Visiting classified as neither favourable nor unfavourable.

The World Health Organization’s internationally accepted classification of diseases and related health conditions. The tenth revision, Australian modification (ICD-10-AM), is currently in use in Australian hospitals for admitted patients.

Antibacterials for systemic use: amoxicillin, amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, cephalexin, clindamycin, erythromycin, metronidazole and phenoxymethylpenicillin.

A condition that has lasted or is likely to last six months or more.

Anti-inflammatory and antirheumatic products: diclofenac, ibuprofen, naproxen.

Analgesics: codeine with paracetamol, oxycodone, tramadol.

Psycholeptics: diazepam.

The burden from living with ill health as measured by years lived with disability. Often used synonymously with YLD, and also referred to as health lost.

Inflammation of the gums and other tissues that attach to and anchor teeth to the jaws, caused by a bacterial infection

Inflammation of the gums and other tissues that attach to and anchor teeth to the jaws, caused by a bacterial infection.

Secondary or ‘adult’ teeth that start to erupt at around 6 years of age. A person usually has 32 permanent teeth.

A national, government-funded scheme that subsidises the cost of a wide range of pharmaceutical drugs for all Australians to help them afford standard medications. The Schedule of Pharmaceutical Benefits lists all the medicinal products available under the PBS and explains the uses for which they can be subsidised.

A biofilm containing bacteria and food debris that adheres to the tooth surface.

A measure of plaque from 0 to 3, devised by Loe and Silness (1964), where:
0 = no plaque
1 = mild accumulation of plaque
2 = moderate accumulation of plaque
3 = abundant accumulation of plaque

Hospitalisations for dental conditions that may not be preventable, but theoretically would not result in hospitalisation if adequate and timely care, usually non hospital, was received.

A procedure is defined as a clinical intervention that is surgical in nature, carries a procedural risk, carries an anaesthetic risk, requires specialised training, and or requires special facilities or equipment only available in an acute care setting. Procedures therefore encompass surgical procedures and also non surgical investigative and therapeutic procedures.

The ratio of observed survival of a group of persons diagnosed with cancer to expected survival of those in the corresponding general population after a specified interval following diagnosis, such as 5 or 10 years.

An Australian government scheme, subsidised by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), that provides a range of pharmaceuticals and wound dressings at a concessional rate for the treatment of eligible veterans, war widows and widowers and their dependants.

A person’s impression of their own health against a five-point scale from excellent through to poor.

The total number of episodes of care for admitted patients divided by the total number of persons in the population under study. Often presented as a rate per 1,000 or 10,000 members of a population. Rates may be crude or standardised.

The total number of episodes of care for admitted patients, which can be the total hospital stays, from admission to discharge, transfer or death, or portions of hospital stays beginning or ending in a change of type of care, for example, from acute to rehabilitation, that cease during a reference period. METeOR identifier: 270407.

A score that counts the number of tooth surfaces that are decayed, d, missing due to caries, m, or filled because of caries, f. ‘dmfs’ refers to deciduous teeth, ‘DMFS’ refers to permanent teeth. Each tooth was divided into five surfaces and each surface decayed or filled was counted, but each missing tooth was counted as three surfaces. Untreated decay was defined as a cavity in the surface enamel caused by the caries process, a missing surface if the tooth had been extracted because of decay and a filled surface when the filling had been placed due to decay.

A score that counts the number of teeth that are decayed (d), missing due to caries (m) or filled because of caries (f) – ‘dmft’ refers to deciduous teeth, ‘DMFT’ refers to permanent teeth.

Visiting less than once every two years, usually for a problem, or visiting once every two years, usually for a problem, and without a regular dental provider.

The process of adjusting the amount of fluoride in drinking water.