title: Identifying and prioritising areas of child dental service need: a GIS-based approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify and prioritise areas of high need for dental services among the child population in metropolitan Western Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  All children hospitalised due to an oral-condition from 2000 to 2009, at metropolitan areas of Perth were included in the analysis of a 10-year data set. QGIS tools mapped the residential location of each child and socioeconomic data in relation to existing services (School Dental Service clinics).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The tables and maps provide a clear indication of specific geographical areas, where no services are located, but where high hospital-admission rates are occurring, especially among school-age children. The least-disadvantaged areas and areas of high rates of school-age child hospital-admissions were more likely to be within 2km of the clinics than not. More of high-risk-areas (socio-economically deprived areas combined with high oral-related hospital admissions rates), were found within 2km of the clinics than elsewhere.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of GIS methodology has identified a community's current service access needs, and assisted evidence based decision making for planning and implementing changes to increase access based on risk.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Alsharif
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kruger
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tennant
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003740:Dental Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009909:Oral Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012307:Risk Factors; D012571:School Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012923:Social Class; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014904:Western Australia