Socio-Demographic Factors Influencing Noncompletion of Dental Treatment Among Children in Public Oral Health Care Service

Background: Oral health outcomes are closely linked to the completion of necessary dental treatment. Hypothesis or Aim: This study seeks to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of children and adolescents and the clinical factors contributing to the noncompletion of necessary dental treatments within a 12-month period at Monash Health Dental Services in Melbourne, Victoria. Design: Data were collected from seven public health dental sites, capturing all patients younger than 18 years who visited Monash Health Dental Services within a 12-month period. Results: Of the 7160 children who attended the dental clinics, 24.2% did not complete dental treatment. The majority (79.4%) were between 5 and 17 years of age, with each additional year of age increasing the probability of having an incomplete course of care (CoC). Participants receiving ‘Preventive’ CoCs were less likely to have incomplete treatments, while Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, those who spoke languages other than English or Dari and patients needing interpreters were more likely to have incomplete treatments. Attendees of the different dental clinics had differing odds of noncompletion. The model explained 11.3% of the variance in predicting noncompletion. Conclusion: This analysis underscored the complex interplay between socio-demographic, enabling factors and clinical circumstances that contribute to incomplete CoCs.