IELTSwithJurabek

PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.

Australia's Airborne Dentists

Australians living or travelling in rural and remote areas can face particular difficulties when they need medical care. Hundreds of kilometres from major cities and many hours by road from the closest hospital or clinic, some rural Australians do not have easy access to doctors, nurses and dentists.

Organisations such as the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) have been established to bring health services to outback Australian communities. The RFDS provides free medical care to people who live, work or travel in remote and regional parts of Australia. This non-profit organisation is the oldest and largest airborne health service of its kind in the world, and since 1928 it has used small aircraft to provide health services to some of Australia's most far-away communities.

In recent years, the RFDS has also started to fly dentists to regional Australia. As well as offering mobile dental clinics, the RFDS provides a range of preventative and educational services. Looking after the teeth of people in remote areas presents special challenges. These include providing care to scattered communities with no established dental facilities, and dealing with higher rates of diseases linked to poor dental health.

People in remote areas are visited by health staff very infrequently. RFDS dentists may visit a community only once every few months, or sometimes just once a year. As a result, patients often have to tolerate dental problems for long periods before receiving treatment. Consequently, people living in remote areas are more likely to suffer from tooth decay and gum disease.

In some of the locations visited by the RFDS, there are no suitable dental facilities, so dentists must bring all necessary equipment with them. This includes drills, dental chairs, portable X-ray machines, and computers used to keep records of patient treatment. This equipment can weigh up to 100 kilograms, and because the small aircraft used by the RFDS have limited space, dentists are unable to transport everything they might need.

While dentists working in towns and cities can specialise in particular treatments, RFDS dentists must be able to perform a wide range of procedures. They cannot refer patients to specialists, so they must be capable of providing comprehensive care. However, some services remain difficult to offer. For example, providing dentures is often impractical because they must be precisely fitted and usually require multiple visits over an extended period.

Chronic illnesses are more common in remote communities than in other parts of Australia. These illnesses can reduce resistance to infection, including infections of the gums and mouth. As a result, people living in outback communities are more likely to experience oral health problems, which presents additional challenges for RFDS dentists.

Because dental services are limited in remote areas, residents also receive less education about good oral hygiene. Many people may not be aware of practices that city residents take for granted, such as the importance of brushing teeth daily. In addition, basic dental hygiene products like toothpaste and toothbrushes are often more expensive in outback areas, and many residents are on low incomes. In such cases, the RFDS supplies these products.

As well as treating patients, RFDS dentists focus on preventative care and education, teaching patients about proper brushing and flossing techniques. The RFDS also provides mouthguards for young people who play contact sports, such as rugby league and Australian rules football, where dental injuries are common.

Adding fluoride to water supplies has been shown to reduce tooth decay in many parts of the world. In Australia, urban water supplies are fluoridated, and city residents therefore experience lower rates of tooth decay. However, fluoridating water supplies in remote areas is not practical, making it especially important for people in these regions to brush regularly with fluoridated toothpaste.

Despite the many challenges involved, the RFDS continues to deliver essential dental and medical services. Its work significantly improves oral health outcomes and supports important preventative health initiatives in isolated communities.