A new study by La Trobe University, published in The Australian Journal of Rural Health, reveals that pharmacists in rural Victoria are stepping up to deliver essential oral healthcare advice, including guidance on oral hygiene, managing dental pain, and preventative care, in communities without dental practitioners.
The research involved 11 rural pharmacists who reported regularly shouldering health responsibilities far beyond traditional dispensing roles.
One pharmacist noted there was “nothing in town other than us”, highlighting the critical role pharmacies play in areas where the nearest dental clinic is more than 20 minutes away.
Offering oral health advice
Pharmacists reported offering oral health advice up to 3 times/week, often in response to customer concerns and script presentations.
Their support for long-term oral health extended to a variety of areas, such as encouraging twice-daily brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, using fluoridated mouthwash, smoking cessation and dietary advice.
“Generally, people come here for dental pain,” one pharmacist said.
‘First and only line of care’
Professor Joseph Tucci, Pharmacy Discipline Lead at La Trobe’s Rural Health School, says that while pharmacists are eager to offer oral health advice, time constraints and operating as a single pharmacist limited their ability to do so.
“In regions where dentists are absent, pharmacists are often the first and only line of healthcare,” says Professor Tucci.
“With structured support, they can play a more confident and collaborative role in preventing and addressing oral health issues.”
Confidence an issue
Few participants felt confident conducting oral examinations due to inadequate equipment, limited privacy or consult areas and no formal training to deliver such services.
“There’s a need for it because dentists are a long way away but, being a small country pharmacy, we don’t have the staff to allocate time,” one pharmacist explained.
“Pharmacies don’t really have that facility and we don’t have those tools,” another said.
Enhanced training and resources needed
Enhanced training and resources were the most discussed facilitators for pharmacists to be comfortable in performing limited oral examinations.
Others suggested online training modules that could count towards continuing professional development requirements.
“Where we are located, there’s no point, for instance, in having face-to-face training that’s three hours’ drive away,” one participant said.
Lack of collaboration with dental professionals
The study also highlights a lack of collaboration with dental professionals, largely due to the absence of dentists in rural towns and no established referral pathways.
“We don’t have a dentist in town, so we don’t have much of a relationship with any of the dentists in bigger towns,” a participant said.
“I don’t think it’s as good as it can be.”
Room for growth
Professor Santosh Tadakamadla, Dentistry and Oral Health Discipline Lead, says there’s room for growth within the delivery of a community pharmacist’s oral health advice.
“If pharmacists were more proactive in these discussions, some oral health conditions could be largely preventable,” says Professor Tadakamadla.
“With many rural areas not having access to fluoridated water, it is important that pharmacists are educated on the benefits of fluoridated products and how to successfully incorporate this as part of their oral health advice delivery.”
