User assessment of an early childhood oral health education training course for Aboriginal Health Workers

The role of indigenous health workers in promoting oral health during pregnancy: a scoping review

“… • Training program Parker et al, 2005 [ 42 ] Australia Peer-reviewed journal article Describe the development, implementation and evaluation of the first stage of the OH Program (dental clinic/service) for the Indigenous community serviced by Pika Wiya Health Service Descriptive Intervention: • Rural OH service designed to meet cultural needs of the Indigenous population • Recruited an AHW to coordinate for administrative duties and establishing the program • High service demand in 1 year (229 individuals, 1582 treatments) • AHW involved in program development, health promotion & recruitment • Potential role of IHW Slade et al, 2011 [ 43 ] Australia Peer-reviewed journal article To evaluate effectiveness of trained primary healthcare workers in preventing dental caries in preschool children living in remote Aboriginal communities in Northern Territory Cluster-randomised, concurrent controlled trial Intervention: • Nurses and/or AHWs applied fluoride varnish on children, advised parents on caries prevention, promoted traditional health, demonstrated OH practices • Engaged members of community during events. • Intervention consisting of fluoride varnish & OH promotion reduced caries by 24–36% • Potential role of IHW Smith et el., 2016 [ 50 ] Australia Peer-reviewed journal article To evaluate the OH training program targeting AHWs in cultural appropriateness, course content and respondents’ perception of competence to offer OH advice Qualitative Program: • Smiles not Tears OH programme (1 day with presentation, role-play & group discussion) • Delivered to 61 AHWs educating about OH for young children • Increased AHWs’ confidence to offer dental advice to target population • Course received positive feedback in content and perceived to be culturally appropriate • Training program South Australia Dental Service, 2015 [ 37 ] Australia Business Plan Improve oral health outcomes for eligible Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in South Australia by increasing the number who access mainstream dental services N/A Intervention: • Aboriginal Oral Health Program trained Health Workers to assess, refer adults, children, and pregnant women to dental services • Developed a streamline referral pathway for pregnant women • Outlined seven key performance indicator objectives and corresponding actions/strategies • Potential role of IHW Stevens et al, 2007 [ 46 ] United States Peer-reviewed journa...…”

“…This scoping review identified four Australian-based studies reporting different oral health training programs for IHWs to support Indigenous populations across the lifespan [ 43 , 49 , 50 ]. Two of the programs were introduced specifically to address the needs of communities in rural and remote areas [ 51 ].…”

“…The modules covered an introduction to dental health and knowledge, applied oral health, and application to their local community. Another two studies delivered training through a one or 2 day workshop including education on oral health, oral hygiene and preventive treatments, emphasising the IHWs’ utilisation of role-play, which received positive feedback [ 49 , 50 ]. Smith et al [ 50 ] also trained IHWs to use an early childhood oral health screening tool.…”

“…Another two studies delivered training through a one or 2 day workshop including education on oral health, oral hygiene and preventive treatments, emphasising the IHWs’ utilisation of role-play, which received positive feedback [ 49 , 50 ]. Smith et al [ 50 ] also trained IHWs to use an early childhood oral health screening tool. Finally, one study [ 43 ] involved training IHWs to reduce ECC incidence through oral disease recognition, referral to dental services, oral health promotion, fluoride varnish application, provision of chart books and DVD instructions; however, mode of delivery and evaluation were not clearly described.…”

The oral health behaviours and fluid consumption practices of young urban Aboriginal preschool children in south‐western Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

“…What is more concerning is the extremely low attendance rates at 2 years (5%) especially as all children are recommended to receive a dental check up by this age . Without regular oral assessments early childhood caries can develop prior to 2 years and lead to a negative impact on the health and well‐being of the child . Generally, Aboriginal children in urban areas have lower caries rates than those in rural settings due to improved access to fluoridated water and affordable dental services .…”