BACKGROUND: In Australia, there is an uneven distribution of dental workforce towards larger centres. However, research on dental practitioners’ choice to work and live in rural areas is limited. This study aims to investigate the factors associated with recruitment and retention of dental health practitioners (dentists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, oral health therapists and dental prosthetists) to rural and remote areas in Australia.

METHODS: Qualitative study with semi-structured interviews involving 50 dental health practitioners. Participants were recruited from advertisements and snowball sampling. Interview data was analysed using thematic analysis with the assistance of Nvivo 10.

RESULTS: Urban and rural dental health practitioners reported differences in opinions of rural practice. The majority of respondents had worked in rural areas and had positive experiences of rural life. Practitioners were actively involved in their communities, enjoyed the lifestyle and found their work rewarding. The main reasons given for recruitment to rural practice were job availabilities and the main reasons for retention in rural practice were personal.

CONCLUSIONS: Dental practitioners gave differing responses to personal and professional issues dependent on their practice location experiences and background. Personal factors were considered much more important than professional issues when deciding on length of stay in a particular area.