Accessibility of and client satisfaction with dental services in Melbourne

Public dental clinics play an important role in delivering dental services to Australian adults on low incomes. Our objective was to compare the accessibility of and client satisfaction with the two main types of public dental service providers in Victoria and with private practice services. Clients attending the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Northcote Community Health Centre and private practices in Melbourne were surveyed. The hospital's clients faced the greatest ecological and organisational obstacles, while private clients faced the greatest financial and desirability obstacles. Community centre clients faced fewer ecological and organisational obstacles than hospital clients, with the exception of long waiting times. Private practice clients were more satisfied overall, and had better continuity of care. Private practice clients were more satisfied with access, availability and convenience than community centre clients, who in turn were more satisfied than hospital clients. There was no distinction between private practice and hospital clients on satisfaction with 'pain and treatment', but community centre clients were less satisfied. There was no significant difference between client group evaluations of interaction with the dentist. Regardless of the effects of the Commonwealth Dental Health Program, distinctions between various service types and public clinic types are likely to remain, because of their different settings. The contrast between a central hospital and a community health centre, in terms of the ecological and organisational obstacles to care, points to the advantages of putting dental services close to the communities they serve.