Outcome measures

A self-reported questionnaire was developed using the 2020 Australian Oral Health Workforce survey items (Stormon et al. 2020).

Participants were asked their current age, gender, principal Australian State or Territory of practice, and the number of years they had been practicing as a registered dental practitioner. Participants were asked to select their dental practitioner Ahpra registration category, including if they held multiple registration types. Career intentions were measured through reporting intended career changes in the following six months, and intended age of retirement from being a  practitioner.

Items relating to employment in the previous financial year (1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022) were asked. For this reporting period participants were asked to report the number of paid oral health related jobs being worked concurrently, estimated gross annual income for the financial year, average hours worked weekly and employment types (business owner, self-employed, full time, part time, casual, fixed term, locum).

Participants were asked for their current primary and secondary (if applicable) place of employment the sector/type of workplace, if they were receiving compulsory superannuation contributions, other employment benefits, and the number of unpaid hours they work each week. Participants were able to submit partially completed questionnaires.

Ethical considerations

The Australian Oral Health Workforce Cohort Study was reviewed and approved by the University of Queensland Human Ethics Research Low and Negligible Risk Committee (clearance number 2022/HE002328).

Sources

• Stormon, Nicole Lauren, Tran, Carol, and Suen, Bill (2021). Australian Oral Health Workforce. Brisbane, QLD Australia: The University of Queensland.