{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T03:50:54Z","timestamp":1782100254752,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":46,"publisher":"Wiley","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]],"date-time":"2026-03-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772841600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"},{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]],"date-time":"2026-03-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772841600000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/doi.wiley.com\/10.1002\/tdm_license_1.1"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["onlinelibrary.wiley.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Australian J Rural Health"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>ABSTRACT<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Australians living in rural areas have a higher prevalence of dental caries and higher potentially preventable hospital admissions for oral health conditions compared to metropolitan\u2010dwelling Australians. Despite high burdens of dental disease and a lack of systems supporting oral health, including water fluoridation and access to dental services, rural Australians have been given limited opportunities to participate in oral health research, resulting in gaps in our understanding. The objective of this study was to explore rural health consumer experiences of using and accessing oral health care services.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Design<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Cross\u2010sectional online survey.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Setting<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Rural and remote Australia (MM2\u2013MM7).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Participants<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Members of the Rural Health Consumer Panel aged over 18\u2009years.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>One hundred and thirty\u2010nine Rural Health Consumer Panel members responded to the survey. Key sociodemographic characteristics included a median age of 61\u2009years, predominantly female (74.5%) and highly educated (73% holding tertiary qualifications). The majority of those visiting an oral health professional in the past 12\u2009months reported visiting a dentist (47.5%). Over a third (38%) of respondents did not visit any oral health professional in the past 12\u2009months. Private health insurance coverage was associated with more regular dental and oral health check\u2010ups. Key challenges in accessing oral health care included cost, wait times for an appointment, and distance travelled to receive care.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Rural people in this study face barriers in accessing oral health care, contributing to low rates of preventative dental and oral health visits. The difficulty in accessing oral health services and lower rates of private health insurance in rural areas further exacerbate these inequities. Further research is required to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of rural people in relation to accessing oral health services and involving rural people in developing place\u2010based solutions across communities.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.70158","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]],"date-time":"2026-03-08T23:08:49Z","timestamp":1773011329000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Mind the Gap: Preliminary Insights Into Rural Australians' Experiences of Oral Health Care"],"prefix":"10.1111","volume":"34","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5105-2981","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fiona","family":"Dangerfield","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, La Trobe Rural Health School La Trobe University  Bendigo Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0977-3889","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sudheer Babu","family":"Balla","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, La Trobe Rural Health School La Trobe University  Bendigo Victoria Australia"},{"name":"Department of Rural Clinical Sciences, La Trobe Rural Health School La Trobe University  Bendigo Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3204-9442","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stacey","family":"Bracksley\u2010O\u2019Grady","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, La Trobe Rural Health School La Trobe University  Bendigo Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7728-2101","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Virginia","family":"Dickson\u2010Swift","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Violet Vines Marshman Centre for Rural Health Research, La Trobe Rural Health School La Trobe University  Bendigo Victoria Australia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"311","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_2_11_2_1","unstructured":"National Rural Health Alliance Oral and dental health in rural Australia Canberra National Rural Health Alliance 2023Available from https:\/\/www.ruralhealth.org.au\/sites\/default\/files\/publications\/nrha\u2010oral\u2010health\u2010fact\u2010sheet\u20102023.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_3_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/healthcare11121721"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_4_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.13050"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_5_1","volume-title":"Oral Health and Dental Care in Australia","author":"Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_6_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.22605\/RRH3807"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_7_1","volume-title":"Healthy Mouths\u2010 Healthy Lives: Australia's National Oral Health Plan 2015\u20132024","author":"Council of Australian Government (COAG)","year":"2015"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_8_1","volume-title":"Filling the Gap Disparities in Oral Health Access and Outcomes in Remote and Rural Australia","author":"Bishop L.","year":"2015"},{"issue":"3","key":"e_1_2_11_9_1","first-page":"431","article-title":"Dental Practitioner Rural Work Movements: A Systematic Review","volume":"14","author":"Godwin D. M.","year":"2014","journal-title":"Rural and Remote Health"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_10_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.12973"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_11_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/adj.12759"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_12_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.12429"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_13_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.lanwpc.2022.100682"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_14_1","volume-title":"Australia's Health Panel. Results of Australia's Health Panel Survey on Dental and Oral Healthcare in 2023","author":"Consumers Health Forum","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_15_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1155\/hsc\/7046568"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_16_1","unstructured":"Australian Government Department of Health Modified Monash Model 2019Available from https:\/\/www.health.gov.au\/resources\/publications\/modified\u2010monash\u2010model\u2010fact\u2010sheet?language=en."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_17_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00005650-199206000-00002"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_18_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1136\/bmjopen-2017-019413"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_19_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jbi.2008.08.010"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_20_1","unstructured":"IBM Corporation Statiscal Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) for Windows 2024."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_21_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/nhs.12048"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_22_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijsu.2014.07.013"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_23_1","article-title":"Recall Intervals for Oral Health in Primary Care Patients","volume":"10","author":"Fee P. A.","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_24_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/adj.13012"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_25_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/hpja.576"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_26_1","volume-title":"Filling the Gap: A Universal Dental Scheme for Australia","author":"Duckett S.","year":"2019"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_27_1","volume-title":"Report to the Australian Senate on Anti\u2010Competitive and Other Practices by Health Insurers and Providers in Relation to Private Health Insurance Canberra ACCC 2023","author":"Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_28_1","volume-title":"Patient Experiences [Internet]","author":"Australian Bureau of Statistics","year":"2024"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_29_1","volume-title":"Oral and Dental Health in Rural Australia Canberra NRHA","author":"National Rural Health Alliance","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_30_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2024.104996"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_31_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/idj.12027"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_32_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12909-025-06681-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_33_1","unstructured":"Australian Government Workforce Incentive Program Practice Stream Guidelines 2025."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_34_1","volume-title":"Report on Government Services 2023, Part E: Australian Government, 2023","author":"Productivity Commission","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_35_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/adj.12930"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_36_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-018-3733-2"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_37_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.5694\/mja15.00740"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_38_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jdent.2024.105265"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_39_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/ajr.12874"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_40_1","unstructured":"Consumers Health Forum of Australia Submission to the Senate Inquiry into the Provision of and Access to Dental Services in Australia Canberra Consumers Health Forum of Australia 2023Available from https:\/\/www.chf.org.au\/our\u2010work\/submissions\/submission\u2010to\u2010the\u2010senate\u2010inquiry\u2010into\u2010the\u2010provision\u2010of\u2010and\u2010access\u2010to\u2010dental\u2010servi."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_41_1","unstructured":"Public Health Association of Australia Oral Health Special Interest Group: PHAA\u2010 Oral Health Special Interest Group 2024Available from https:\/\/www.phaa.net.au\/Web\/Web\/Oral\u2010Health.aspx."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_42_1","unstructured":"National Oral Health Alliance (NOHA) Joint Position Statement on Universal Access to Affordable Oral Healthcare National Oral Health Alliance 2023Available from https:\/\/oralhealth.asn.au\/wp\u2010content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/NOHA\u2010Joint\u2010Position\u2010Statement\u2010on\u2010Universal\u2010Access\u2010to\u2010Affordable\u2010Oral\u2010Healthcare\u2010Final_Updated\u20102023.pdf."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_43_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1071\/AH22278"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_44_1","volume-title":"Global Oral Health Status Report: Towards Universal Health Coverage for Oral Health by 2030","author":"World Health Organization","year":"2022"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_45_1","volume-title":"Rural and Remote Health","author":"Australian Institute of Health and Welfare","year":"2023"},{"key":"e_1_2_11_46_1","unstructured":"A. E. M.BrabersandJ. D.de Jong Nivel Healthcare Consumer Panel: Basic Report With Information About the 2022 Panel 2022."},{"key":"e_1_2_11_47_1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jvoice.2020.12.043"}],"container-title":["Australian Journal of Rural Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/ajr.70158","content-type":"application\/pdf","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full-xml\/10.1111\/ajr.70158","content-type":"application\/xml","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"text-mining"},{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/pdf\/10.1111\/ajr.70158","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,22]],"date-time":"2026-06-22T03:44:31Z","timestamp":1782099871000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/10.1111\/ajr.70158"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]]},"references-count":46,"journal-issue":{"issue":"2","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["10.1111\/ajr.70158"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/ajr.70158","archive":["Portico"],"relation":{},"ISSN":["1038-5282","1440-1584"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1038-5282","type":"print"},{"value":"1440-1584","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,7]]},"assertion":[{"value":"2025-04-23","order":0,"name":"received","label":"Received","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-01-24","order":2,"name":"accepted","label":"Accepted","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}},{"value":"2026-03-07","order":3,"name":"published","label":"Published","group":{"name":"publication_history","label":"Publication History"}}],"article-number":"e70158"}}