Estie Kruger

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Verified

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• BChD MChD (Comm Dent) PhD
• Professor (Associate) at The University of Western Australia

Objectives: Oro-facial trauma affects physical, psychological, and social well-being. This study assesses changes in oro-facial trauma hospitalisation rates among adults during the pre-lockdown period, ‘lockdown year’, and post-lockdown period in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK). The findings provide insights into healthcare delivery and resou...

Background The WHO Global Oral Health Action Plan has set an overarching global target of achieving a 10% reduction in the prevalence of oral conditions by 2030. Robust and up-to-date information on the global burden of oral conditions is paramount to monitor progress towards this target. The aim of this systematic data analysis was to produce glob...

Objective: This study examined the distribution of residential aged care facilities in relation to the aged population and socioeconomic profile at the smallest geographical unit in Australia’s metropolitan areas, regional centers, and large rural towns. Methods: An observational study was designed using the most recent open-source data from the Au...

Background and Objectives: In Saudi Arabia, persons with disabilities (PWDs) face considerable oral health challenges, including a higher prevalence of dental caries and gingival inflammation, which adversely affects their oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). This population experiences distinct and substantial barriers in accessing adequa...

Objectives Limited access to oral health services contributes to poor oral health in institutionalised older adults. The objective of this study was to map and analyse the distribution of residential age‐care facilities (RACFs) in relation to dental practices across Australia. Methods Age‐care data were sourced from the Australian Institute of Hea...

Objectives: In this study, the trends and current situation of the injury burden as well as attributable burden to injury risk factors at global, regional, and national levels based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 are presented. Study design: To assess the attributable burden of injury risk factors, th...

Background: Nearly one billion individuals globally live with disabilities, facing greater risk of dental issues. Systematic reviews have identified barriers to oral health care for persons with disabilities (PWDs), but a comprehensive synthesis to inform health-policy guidelines is lacking. This overview addresses this gap by summarizing the key b...

Objective This study investigates the geographical distribution of private hospitals in Australian capital cities in relation to the Index of Relative Socioeconomic Disadvantage. Methods Using Geographic Information System analysis, the study examined how private hospitals are distributed across different socioeconomic quartiles, providing a compr...

Background: Oral health is a critical component of overall well-being. However, students with disabilities (SWDs) face unique challenges in maintaining oral hygiene and accessing dental care. This study aims to explore oral health behaviours, dental care utilisation, and barriers to accessing dental care among SWDs in Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, from th...

Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face challenges in maintaining good oral health, because of factors including sensory sensitivities, communication difficulties, and microbial imbalances in the oral cavity. Despite growing awareness of ASD, both in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and globally, no systematic review has...

Introduction The increasing interest in teledentistry since the COVID-19 pandemic warrants an evaluation of dentists’ willingness to adopt it. This study aimed to develop a questionnaire to assess dentist’s intention to use teledentistry and the associated factors. Methods A literature search was used to identify items for the questionnaire. The U...

Background: Dental caries is prevalent among children, including those with disabilities. Although the World Health Organization recommends school-based oral health promotion (OHP) programmes involving teachers, limited research has explored teachers' roles and perspectives. Aim: To assess special education teachers' involvement and difficulties...

Background: Persons with disabilities (PWDs) face significant barriers in accessing dental care, resulting in poorer oral health outcomes compared to the general population. To reduce dental healthcare disparities, dental professionals must develop positive attitudes and acquire the necessary skills to treat PWDs effectively. This study aimed to as...

Objective The advent of the COVID‐19 pandemic has accentuated the critical importance of epidemic preparedness within national healthcare systems. This study presents a geospatial analysis aimed at optimising the placement of field hospitals in Australia to ensure adequate healthcare access during pandemics. Methods The latest census data from the...

Introduction While the dental management of patients with haemophilia has changed considerably in the last decade, haemophiliacs in Western Australia have continued to receive pre‐operative factor support for dentistry regardless of the type of dental procedure. Aim To review the efficacy and safety of established dental protocols that reduce fact...

D1ental caries remains the most common chronic disease in childhood, affecting almost half of all children globally. Dental care and examination of children living in remote and rural areas is an ongoing challenge that has been compounded by COVID. The development of a validated system with the capacity to screen large numbers of children with some...

The availability of hospital‐based dental services across Australia varies with a number of hospitals disestablishing dental departments due to rising costs. However, the perceived costs are difficult to quantify as funding models used to capture activity are not uniform across health facilities. To investigate this the predicted funding generated...

Aims Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a rare and diverse group of tumors that account for 3 to 10% of all head and neck malignancies. We aimed to conduct a comprehensive epidemiological analysis of SGTs in the south of Iran and compare the findings with previous reports from Iran and other parts of the world. Methods Using a retrospective study, 4...

Objective This systematic review aimed to comprehensively summarize and critically assess studies conducted on oral health outcomes among individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) in Saudi Arabia. Methods This study followed the Participants, Exposure, Control and Outcomes (PECO) framework to formulate a focused research question. We conducted an exten...

Oral cancer is a malignant neoplasia that can originate in the oral cavity or lips. It is a seri-ous global health problem and one of the ten most common cancers worldwide. Over the years, changes in the trends of the oral cavity and oropharyngeal cancers have been ob-served. The management of oral cancer is complicated due to the functional and co...

Background/aim: This retrospective study investigated the effect of lockdowns for Covid-19 on the rates of oro-facial trauma hospitalisations in children in Australia and the United Kingdom (UK). Materials and methods: Hospitalisation data for children up to 19 years old for oro-facial trauma injuries (according to ICD-10-AM principal diagnosis...

Context: Improving the oral health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people has been prioritised by both of the Australian National Oral Health Plans (2004-2013 and 2015-2024). However, providing adequate access to timely dental care to remote Aboriginal communities remains a challenge. The Kimberley region of Western Australia in particula...

Objectives: This study aims to conduct a process evaluation of the Kimberley Dental Team (KDT), a not-for-profit, volunteer organization providing care to remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia. Methods: A logic model was constructed to detail the operational context of the KDT model. Subsequently, the fidelity (the extent to which e...

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,...

Objective The Child Dental Benefits Schedule (CDBS) was introduced in 2014, and its aim was to support access to dental care for eligible children in Australia. Dental caries, and pulp and periapical diseases were the major dental reasons for children's hospitalisations. This study investigated if the availability of the CDBS had any effects on hos...

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 di...

Background Oral health promotion (OHP) is a crucial aspect of dental care, as it aims to improve and protect oral health of individuals. This study aimed to qualitatively explore views of oral health providers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, on their perceptions of their responsibilities for OHP, as well as the barriers and potential opportunities for impl...

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to examine more recent data to determine the extent of lingual nerve injury (LNI) following the surgical extraction of mandibular third molars (M3M). A systematic search of three databases [PubMed, Web of Science and OVID] was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and...

Background: The accessibility to affordable primary healthcare services contributes to population health and health equity. A key aspect to accessibility is the geographical distribution of primary healthcare services. Limited studies have assessed the nationwide spatial distribution of bulk billing-only medical practices or 'no-fee' services. The...

Objectives: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities in remote parts of Australia are some of the most underserviced communities in regard to oral health care. These communities rely on volunteer dental programmes such as the Kimberley Dental Team to fill the gaps in care, however, there are no known continuous quality improvement (CQI) f...

Objective: This study examines how rural and remote junior doctors career decisions are influenced by highly connected principles within a discipline. Methods: Social network analysis was completed with data collected, by structured interview, with five psychiatry trainees and three early career psychiatrists in a rural location rated MM3 using...

Objective: To assess the demographic and time trends in hospitalisation rate for Pulp and Periapical Diseases (P&PDs) over 20-years (1998-99 to 2017-18), amongst children and adolescents (under age 19 years) in all states and territories of Australia. P&PDs are considered potentially preventable, with the possibility of them resulting in emergency...

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 we...

Objective: The study addresses the wider question of whether accessibility of the existing PHCs (Primary Healthcares) is sufficient to provide services to individuals. Based on this question, the aim of this study was to generate quantitative evidence regarding PHC spatial access in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study design...

Background / Objectives: The Sri Lankan healthcare system consists of public and private sectors. In terms of capacity, the public sector dominates the provision of care across curative, preventive and outpatient care. The private sector, too, has grown rapidly in recent years but was mainly confined to providing curative, diagnostic and outpatient...

Background: Prescribing medicine is integral to clinical dentistry. Infective endocarditis may be rare but fatal if left untreated. As a result, judicious prescribing of antibiotics should be implemented due to potential. To our knowledge, no Australian study has examined dental students' knowledge and perceptions about antibiotic prophylaxis for d...

Introduction: New Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) telehealth item codes were added in 2020 to allow Australians to gain access to medical services during COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. Previous studies have been conducted on the utilisation of specific MBS item codes however none have been conducted on all medical practitioner telehealth item cod...

Various studies have indicated that persons with special needs may face several barriers to dental treatment, which increases the prevalence of oral diseases in this population. Moreover, these studies suggested that Saudis with special needs have a higher prevalence of oral diseases, such as dental caries and periodontal disease. The aim of this r...

Background: This study aims to investigate whether initiating a cross-hospital bed management system makes a difference in the number of admissions and bed occupancy rates at a selected hospital and how, if at all, the average length of stay is reduced in specific hospital departments. Methods: The study included all sequentially hospitalized patie...

PurposeRecently, other combinations of teeth are claimed to be better predictors for size estimation of permanent canine and premolars. The present study aimed to determine which combinations of teeth presented an appropriate predictor in Western Australians using digital technology.MethodsA total of 500 (323 females, 177 males) participants meetin...

Background and objective: One of the major factors affecting access to quality oral healthcare in low- and middle-income countries is the under-supply of the dental workforce. The aim of this study was to use Geographical Information System (GIS) to analyse the distribution and accessibility of the dental workforce and facilities across the Kenyan...

This review aims to provide a concise argument on the importance of ethics in scientific endeavors. Consideration should be given to all aspects of a research project, including, study design, approval process, execution, and publication. In addition, parameters such as human roles in research and human rights are noted. Furthermore, critical quest...

Aims: To describe the involvement and need for specialists in special needs dentistry (SND) in the multidisciplinary management of patients and to characterize the complexity of patients with special health care needs. Methods: Referrals for SND review from the Fiona Stanley Hospital head and neck cancer (HNC) multidisciplinary team between Janu...

Objectives: It is well known that there are associations between overall health, age, socioeconomic status and rural residency. The objective of this study was to determine the distribution of Australia's aged population by socioeconomic status, as well as remoteness. Methods: The study employed the Australian Statistical Geography Standard (Sta...

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 ac...

Objective The need to improve existing services to Aboriginal communities is prioritised by Australia's National Oral Health Plan. Although only an emerging area in dentistry, continuous quality improvement (CQI) approaches have positively impacted the delivery of primary health services to Aboriginal communities. This scoping review maps the appli...

Background/Objective The Tanaka and Johnston mixed dentition analysis is a widely used method to predict the size of unerupted permanent canines and premolars. The aim of the present study was to determine the applicability of the Tanaka and Johnston analysis to Western Australian adolescents and develop a new regression equation. Methods Five hun...

Background It is impossible to attain good general health without maintaining oral health and this becomes problematic when dental services are located far from the population that needs to utilise them. This study aimed to assess the geographic accessibility of dental clinics located in public primary healthcare clinics (PHCs) and hospitals in the...

Objective: To examine the geographic distribution and accessibility of primary public dental services (PPDS) for the child population in Al Madinah in comparison with that in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia (SA). Methods: A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct this descriptive study in two of the main cities in the western region of SA: Al Madin...

Health systems are becoming more complex, regulatory bodies are increasing their vigilance, and reimbursement practices are shifting toward value, making closing the referral loop an imperative for patient safety, regulatory oversight, and financial viability. The aim of this study was to examine the referral pattern in PHC services and whether a s...

Objectives Using Google online reviews, this study investigated why patients were satisfied or dissatisfied with their public dental clinic in Victoria, Australia.Methods This mixed methods study gathered Google reviews published by users pre-March, 2021. The reviews were coded and subthemes and major themes were identified. The most common reasons...

Introduction: Prediction of unerupted permanent teeth is an essential part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. This prediction is done by mixed dentition space analysis based on the estimation of mesiodistal dimensions of unerupted permanent canine and premolars from already erupted permanent teeth. Permanent mandibular incisors are m...

Aim: To determine the perceptions of carers of people with a disability in terms of the problems they face in accessing dental care. Method: The survey was based on the modified Penchansky’s 5A classification. It focused on members of a local disability support agency and was completed as part of their ongoing quality improvement processes. Res...

Background: It is impossible to attain good general health without maintaining oral health. This becomes difficult when dental services are located far from the population that needs to utilize them. The study aimed to assess the geographic accessibility of dental healthcare services and to estimate the served population by the dental services in J...

Objectives: Pharmacists are known as medicine experts. Dentists can independently prescribe and administer medications related to dental conditions such as antimicrobials, anti-inflammatories and analgesics. However, little is known about pharmacists' knowledge and perceptions of medicines prescribed for dentistry. Therefore, this study aimed to a...

Objective: To calculate and map the health inequalities in the city of São Paulo using the Urban Health Index (UHI) methodology. Methods: Seven indicators were selected from the Brazilian census: (1) proportion of households with access to sewage systems, (2) proportion of households served by regular waste collection, (3) proportion of househol...

Depression and suicide are large and acute global mental health problems. Timely, granular, and accurate estimates of the burden are critical for effective policy adjustments and interventions. In this cross-sectional population-level observational study, we examine the interplay between web search behaviors and these growing mental health problems...

Background Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people continue to experience significant disparities in oral health and there remains an urgent need to improve services to rural and remote communities. Quantitative research has typically been used to highlight the disease burden and severity experienced by those living in remote commun...

Objective This study investigated the link between socioeconomic status and unplanned dental presentations at the Perth Children's Hospital (PCH), as well as the link between the socioeconomic status of unplanned dental patients and any previous admissions to the PCH.Methods Records of 351 unplanned visits to the PCH were collected, including reaso...

The burden of oral health care increases among older people, with a profound challenge in utilising dental services in primary dental care settings. This study aimed to analyse two decades of nationwide hospital separation patterns due to oral health-related conditions among older people. Ageing population data were obtained from the Australian Bur...

Background: This study aims to investigate whether certain demographic factors of patients receiving home healthcare (HHC) interventions have any positive impact on mortality. Methods: the study included all patients who were enrolled in the HHC program in a referred medical complex, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between the years 2017 and 2020 (593 patient...

Introduction: Telehealth usage increased especially in the coronavirus pandemic.Objective: To determine whether oral and maxillofacial surgeons (OMS) believe that telehealth is an adequate substitute for in-person consultations.Methods: OMS were interviewed. These were transcribed and themes and subthemes coded. Quotes were selected to create narra...

Background The delivery of effective oral health promotion strategies is essential to improving oral health outcomes among remote Aboriginal communities. This study aims to explore the perceptions and attitudes of Aboriginal Australians living in remote Kimberley communities towards oral health education and disease prevention. Methods Semi-struct...

The increased percentage of older people retaining their natural dentition was associated with a burden of poor oral health and increased service demands. This study analyses the dental service utilisation of the ageing population in Australia and develops a modelled cost design that estimates the dental expenditure required to cover dental service...

Background: In Australia, because of inequity in dental service accessibility and affordability, patients can see general medical practitioners (GPs) for acute dental conditions. Methods: This cross-sectional study consisted of surveys distributed to the board registered GPs practising in Australia. The main outcome measures included statistical a...

Demand for private sector healthcare services in Sri Lanka is on the rise. This is very evident from the increase in the number of registered private healthcare institutions from 1990 to 2017. [1,2] With the increasing utilization of private sector healthcare services, various qualitative factors, and service-related issues associated with the hea...

Introduction: The diabetes mellitus-periodontitis relationship has advocated several strategic management approaches on effective glycaemic control and oral health improvement for diabetic patients and periodontitis patients with diabetes. We aimed to identify the challenges of providing health education to patients with diabetes and/or periodonti...

Objectives: To build a predictive model based on the distribution pattern of dentists and population in selective districts of Nepal. Method: Cross-sectional descriptive study conducted using secondary data from the census report and available dentist data of Nepal. Population data were obtained from the most recently available census. For denti...

b> Objectives: This study aimed to investigate sociodemographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics of 9- to 12-year-old schoolchildren who attend regular dental visits. Methods: A stratified sample from 10 schools in Al Madinah, SA, was selected, and a total of 1,000 students aged 9–12 years were included in the study. The WHO criteria (2013...

Aim This study was conducted to estimate the prevalence and severity of dental caries in 9-to-12-year-old schoolchildren in Al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia (SA); to compare its expression by mean of decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft/DMFT) and the Significant Caries Index (SiC Index); to examine the association between caries experience and sociodemo...

Aims and objectives: This study aimed at quantifying participation in dental research-related activities reported by the Saudi Ministry of Health-associated oral healthcare providers in Jazan and to investigate its association with sociodemographic and professional characteristics, as well as practitioners' perceptions of the Research and Developm...

Introduction Considering an ageing population with increasing comorbidities, access to oral and general healthcare is a growing concern. This study aimed to identify and compare access to dental and general practices. This study further aimed to ascertain if there exists a socioeconomic distribution of dental and general practices among older adult...

The aim of this review was to assess relevant global literature on capped-fee (CF) and fee-for-service (FFS) payment models as used by public dental services. Research data were assessed through the PRISMA check list and sourced from MEDLINE, PubMed, ProQuest, Cochrane Library, and other methods. The inclusion criteria were peer reviewed articles p...

The purpose of this study was to trial the suitability of an oral health promotion toolkit in a chair-side setting to determine: an individual’s knowledge; understanding of oral and general health behaviour and evaluate the commitment of dental practitioners to undertake an assessment of the individual’s attitude and aptitude to undertake a home ca...

Background Capitation models of care in dentistry started around 1973 with varying degrees of success in meeting the needs of the individuals and expectations of the participating private practitioners. These studies mostly identified that capitation payments resulted in under treatment whilst fee-for-service models often led to over treatment. The...

Background Moyer’s probability tables have been widely used to determine the mesiodistal dimensions of unerupted canines and premolars for mixed dentition space analysis. Secular, racial, and sexual dimorphism have been reported in the literature and the applicability of Moyer’s analysis has been doubted in many other populations. Objective The pr...

Background: This study provides an overview of dental training participation-related activities reported by Saudi Ministry of Health-associated oral healthcare providers in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Method: For this quantitative study, a total of 113 participants completed an online cross-sectional questionnaire for a response rate of 56.5%. Just over h...

b> Introduction: The construct of dental access adopted in this study uses the following 4 main dimensions: opportunity for access, realized access or utilization, equity, and outcome. Aims: The principal aims of this study were to identify various indicators used in the literature to measure each dimension of access in Saudi Arabia, to summarize a...

b> Purpose: Excessive delays and emergency department (ED) overcrowding have become an increasingly major problem for public health worldwide. This study was to assess the key strategies adopted by an ED, at a public hospital in Jeddah, to reduce delays and streamline patient flow. Materials and Methods: This study was a service evaluation for a Sa...

Objectives To illustrate, identify and assess a contemporary model of the geographic distribution of specialist dentists in relation to population age groups and rurality. Methods All UK dental specialists registered with the General Dental Council were extracted and paired with publicly available locations of work. Geographic information system to...

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,...

Objective: Dentistry should aim to prevent rather than focus on end-stage treatment which is more costly and less effective. This study investigated the association between unplanned dental presentations and any previous admissions at a tertiary hospital for children. Design: A retrospective analysis of 351 unplanned dental presentations at PCH wa...

Purpose Currently, there are little to no published studies outlining general dentist’s knowledge in the management of patients on anticoagulant/antiplatelet therapies in Australia. The aim of this study was to investigate the current practices of Western Australian (WA) general dentists with regards to dental management of patients taking anticoag...

Objective Access to transport is a common barrier to oral health. Greater dependence on public transport has shown delayed oral healthcare, lack of usual source of care and greater unmet health needs. This study examined the spatial accessibility of the population of Great Britain to public transport in providing access to oral healthcare. Methods...

Purpose: Many studies of tooth dimensions have reported both diversity among populations and sexual dimorphism. This study aimed to collect data on mesiodistal dimensions and sexual dimorphism of permanent teeth of contemporary Western Australian adolescents. Methods: The mesiodistal dimensions of teeth from 500 adolescents (177 males, 323 females;...

Objectives To assess the geographic distribution of NHS dental practices in England in relation to deprivation and rurality. Methods A total of 7,851 dental practices in England were included in this study against a population of 53,004,517 from 171,349 statistical areas. The practices were mapped using geographic information systems technology and...

Objectives To investigate the oral care habits and assess the determinants of oral care behaviour among people with diabetes in the Republic of Mauritius. Methods The present study draws on data collected from 589 dentate persons with diabetes by means of a close-ended questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate...

This bibliometric review is aimed to analyze the top 100 most-cited publications in dentistry and to compare its outcomes. A literature search was performed using Elsevier’s Scopus, without any restriction of language, publication year, or study design. Of 336,381 articles, the top 100 were included based on their citation count, which ranged from...

Objective To date, there has been little research that has comprehensively analysed dental treatment under general anaesthesia (DGA) at Perth Children's Hospital (PCH) for dental emergencies (dental pain and sepsis). This cross-sectional descriptive analysis of the PCH dental department analysed the demographic of children admitted and the type of...

Background: Variation in gaining accessibility to public hospitals in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, has not been investigated before. Good access to public health facility will lead to improvements in the population’s health. Maps and geographical information system (GIS) technology can provide assistance to address public health coverage issues. Aims: Thi...

Background Persistent hyperglycaemia in patients with uncontrolled or poorly controlled diabetes may cause serious oral and systemic complications. Persons with diabetes are mostly unaware of their increased risk of oral complications. Objective This study investigated awareness about the association of diabetes with other diseases and knowledge a...