A graduate oral health therapist program to support dental service delivery and oral health promotion in Aboriginal communities in New South Wales, Australia.

INTRODUCTION: The early closure of the Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program and the Oral Health Therapy Graduate Year Program by the Australian Government adversely impacted New South Wales (NSW) Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Services (ACCHSs). This led to the co-design of a small-scale oral health therapy graduate year program for ACCHSs known as the Dalang Project, which enabled oral health therapists to engage with local Aboriginal communities and implement culturally competent, practical and evidence-based oral health promotion activities. This article provides an overview of the Dalang Project and its evaluation. METHODS: All graduates of the Dalang Project were invited via email and social media to complete an online survey. The survey included questions about their year in the Dalang Project, why they applied, what they liked and disliked about the project, where they planned to work post-placement, and examples of the most significant changes they observed in the communities where they were placed. Host sites were also surveyed and data were collated on clinical services performed as well as oral health promotion activity. RESULTS: Prior to commencing the Dalang Project only 4 of the 15 respondents came from rural or regional areas. Nine of the 15 respondents were considering working in a regional, rural or remote area prior to applying for the Dalang Project. Twelve respondents were working at the time of the survey and half were working in regional, rural or remote locations in NSW and one in the Northern Territory. All reported that they would be more likely to work in an ACCHS as a result of being a part of the Dalang Project. The majority of respondents said they would recommend the program to future graduates. A total of 63 schools, 21 preschools and 15 community health services received regular dental health education through the Dalang Project. A total of 3250 toothbrushes and fluoride toothpastes were distributed to children and families through the Dalang Project. A key part of the program was the installation of refrigerated and filtered water fountains in schools where there was no free filtered or refrigerated water supply. The inclusion of this component in the program was part of the co-design process and links the program to the wider population health strategies in NSW to help prevent childhood obesity. CONCLUSION: The Dalang Project is an example of a successful co-designed project that has positively impacted oral health service delivery for Aboriginal children and has provided a valuable experience for new graduate oral health therapists working in ACCHSs. Overall, the Dalang Project was found to be a positive professional experience for the oral health therapists with many remaining in rural, remote and regional locations after completing the program.

An assessment of dental caries among young Aboriginal children in New South Wales, Australia: a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Limited research has been undertaken in Australia to assess the dental status of pre-school Aboriginal children. This cross-sectional study records the number of decayed, missing and filled teeth (dmft) and surfaces (dmfs) of pre-school Aboriginal children living in different locations in New South Wales (NSW), Australia. METHODS: A convenience sample of young children from seven Aboriginal communities in rural, remote and metropolitan areas of NSW, was recruited. One calibrated examiner recorded the dmft/s of children with written parental consent. RESULTS: 196 children were invited to participate and 173 children aged two to five years were examined, a response rate of 88.3%. Forty percent (n = 69) of the children were diagnosed with dental caries with a mean of 2.1 (SD = 3.6). The dmft scores were significantly higher in remote locations when compared to rural (p = <0.0001) and metropolitan areas (p = 0.0155). Children 4-5 years old living in remote NSW had a mean dmft of 3.5 and mean dmfs of 8.0 compared with children living in rural areas who had a dmft and dmfs of 1.5 and 4.2 respectively. Untreated dental caries was the primary contributor to the scores, and children who had previously received dental treatment still had active carious lesions. CONCLUSION: There was a high prevalence of untreated dental caries among the Aboriginal children, particularly for those in remote locations.

"No One Manages It; We Just Sign Them Up and Do It": A Whole System Analysis of Access to Healthcare in One Remote Australian Community.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the accessibility, availability and utilisation of a comprehensive range of community-based healthcare services for Aboriginal people and describe contributing factors to providing effective healthcare services from the provider perspective. SETTING: A remote community in New South Wales, Australia. PARTICIPANTS: Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal health and education professionals performing various roles in healthcare provision in the community. DESIGN: Case study. METHODOLOGY: The study was co-designed with the community. A mixed-methods methodology was utilised. Data were gathered through structured interviews. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the availability of 40 health services in the community, whilst quotations from the qualitative research were used to provide context for the quantitative findings. RESULTS: Service availability was mapped for 40 primary, specialised, and allied health services. Three key themes emerged from the analysis: (1) there are instances of both underservicing and overservicing which give insight into systemic barriers to interagency cooperation; (2) nurses, community health workers, Aboriginal health workers, teachers, and administration staff have an invaluable role in healthcare and improving patient access to health services and could be better supported through further funding and opportunities for specialised training; and (3) visiting and telehealth services are critical components of the system that must be linked to existing community-led primary care services. CONCLUSION: The study identified factors influencing service availability, accessibility and interagency cooperation in remote healthcare services and systems that can be used to guide future service and system planning and resourcing.

Enablers and Barriers to Accessing Healthcare Services for Aboriginal People in New South Wales, Australia.

BACKGROUND: Australia's healthcare system is complex and fragmented which can create challenges in healthcare, particularly in rural and remote areas. Aboriginal people experience inequalities in healthcare treatment and outcomes. This study aimed to investigate barriers and enablers to accessing healthcare services for Aboriginal people living in regional and remote Australia. METHODS: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with healthcare delivery staff and stakeholders recruited through snowball sampling. Three communities were selected for their high proportion of Aboriginal people and diverse regional and remote locations. Thematic analysis identified barriers and enablers. RESULTS: Thirty-one interviews were conducted in the three communities (n = 5 coastal, n = 13 remote, and n = 13 border) and six themes identified: (1) Improved coordination of healthcare services; (2) Better communication between services and patients; (3) Trust in services and cultural safety; (4) Importance of prioritizing health services by Aboriginal people; (5) Importance of reliable, affordable and sustainable services; (6) Distance and transport availability. These themes were often present as both barriers and enablers to healthcare access for Aboriginal people. They were also present across the healthcare system and within all three communities. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes a pathway to better healthcare outcomes for Aboriginal Australians by providing insights into ways to improve access.

The oral health of Indigenous pregnant women: A mixed-methods systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Western models of care to improve the oral health of pregnant women have been successfully implemented in the healthcare setting across various developed countries. Even though Indigenous women experience poorer pregnancy and birth outcomes compared to other women, these models have not been developed with Indigenous communities to address the oral health needs of Indigenous pregnant women. This review aimed to understand the oral health knowledge, practices, attitudes and challenges of Indigenous pregnant women globally. METHODS: A comprehensive search including six electronic databases and grey literature up to September 2018 was undertaken (PROSPERO Registration Number: 111402). Quantitative and qualitative evidence exploring at least one of the four oral health domains relating to Indigenous pregnant women worldwide, including women pregnant with an Indigenous child, were retrieved. RESULTS: Eleven publications related to nine studies were included. Indigenous pregnant women's attitudes, practices and challenges relating to their oral health were influenced by socioeconomic and psychosocial factors, and their healthcare context. Availability of dental services varied depending on the healthcare model, whether services were public or private, and whether services met their needs. Although there was little evidence related to oral health knowledge, the literature suggests some misconceptions within this population. CONCLUSIONS: The availability of culturally appropriate dental services that fulfilled the needs of Indigenous pregnant women varied between developed countries. This review highlighted the need for community-tailored dental services and a care coordinator to provide both education and assistance to those navigating services.