Method: The data was obtained from the Western Australian Hospital Morbidity Data System for ten financial years 1999/00 to 2008/09. Principal diagnosis, classified by the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10AM) system, was obtained and analysed for 43,937 children under the age of 15 years, diagnosed and accordingly admitted for an oral health condition in Western Australia for the study period. Socio-economic status, primary place of residency, age, insurance status, hospital type and Indigenous status were also analysed.
Results: The AAR of hospitalizations for oral conditions was 1,074 per 100,000PY for the last decade. Of these, “Dental caries” and “Embedded and impacted teeth” accounted for 64% of total admissions. Approximately 1,204 per 100,000 PY of the admissions were among children younger than 9 years old, and of those, 53% were uninsured. Non-Indigenous children had 1.3 times the admission rate of Indigenous children, (p<0.001). Lower percentages of admission were observed among children living in the most- and below average- disadvantaged areas (16%, 18.5%, respectively). The results have also shown a clear urban/rural divide in terms of child hospital admissions, and the estimated AAR of urban living children were two times greater than that of their rural dwelling counterparts (p<0.001). Sixty-one percent of admissions were to private hospitals.
Conclusion: This study clearly indicates inequalities among Western Australian children in term of access to in-patient hospital care for oral health related conditions. Our findings identify the characteristics of those children at high risk of hospital admissions for oral health care.