Descriptive analysis (all parts)

The analysis was conducted using R Studio, with descriptive statistics summarising data relevant to the chapters’ focus. Bivariate tables were generated to present weighted percentages and 95% confidence intervals. Where appropriate, the results were visualised graphically in figures to enhance interpretability and highlight key findings.

geographic analysis (Part IV)

Practitioner state of practice and registration status were obtained through application to Ahpra. A summary of this data was detailed in previous chapters and used for weighting the survey responses for this report.  This data was used to calculate the number of practitioners by the population of Australia in 2021, which was the population at the last national census.

This data was used to calculate the number and rate per 100,000 Australian residents for oral health professional. Residents from each state that were located in either the Migratory, offshore and shipping, or had not usual address were included in estimating the state’s rate per population but not included in the estimates for the rates by region.

The data acquired from Ahpra was linked with the Oral Health Workforce Survey to calculate the number and rate per 100,000 Australian residents by regional areas (Major City, Inner Regional, and Outer Regional and further remote). Outer Regional, Remote and Very Remote areas were combined due to the small number of practitioners and population that reside in these areas influencing the validity of these estimates. Some respondents from the survey had not provided their postcode for the place of practice, so multiple imputation using chained equations informed by the respondents age group, gender, state, and profession were used to include these respondents in the calculations that include region as a predictor.

Estimates for the number of practitioners per 100,000 population by characteristic and region were calculated using the weighted Oral Health Workforce Survey data and population data from Australian Bureau of Statistics (Appendix Tables 13.1 and 13.2). Number of years until retirement was calculated using responses from the Oral Health Workforce Survey. These responses are summarised as median, 25th percentile and 75th percentile. The median represents the number of years when 50 percent of practitioners estimate they will have retired, and the 25th percentile is the corresponding number of years when 25 percent of practitioners estimate they will retire.

Estimates that are based on less than five respondents have been marked and should be interpreted with caution. However, this data has been provided for complete transparency.