Reflecting upon 2023, one of the significant milestones of this year was publishing results from the research thesis I undertook during my specialist training in Special Needs Dentistry, which compared and assessed two case mix tools developed by the British Dental Association in stratification and triaging of patients in the Australian context. I was humbled to present the findings at the International Association for Disability and Oral Health conference in Paris, alongside specialists in Special Needs Dentistry from all over the world who investigated various assessment tools in their own respective countries.
This sharing of knowledge highlighted the exciting prospects for collaboration and innovation in addressing the common challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in different countries. My sincere hope is that this published data can contribute to improving access to oral healthcare for people with disabilities, both in Australia and worldwide. To read more: Comparing the BDA case mix tool and simplified case mix tool for stratification of public dental patients with disabilities in South Australia – PubMed (nih.gov)