Bigger Better Smiles at Mallee District Aboriginal Services

Rebecca Crawford – DHSV

Gillian Lang – DHSV

James Peterson - MDAS

Paul Roberts - MDAS

Bigger better smiles – part of Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles

� State Government funded initiative

� Increase capacity of health and early childhood

professionals to include oral health in their practice

� Pregnant women and children 0-3 years

� Professionals working with Aboriginal children and pregnant

women are a focus

Oral health of Aboriginal children

Aboriginal children have twice the levels of tooth decay (Roberts-Thompson,

Spencer, Jamieson 2008 )

Percentage of Aboriginal & Non Aboriginal children receiving hospital dental care Qld, WA,SA & NT 02-03 (Jamieson, Armfield, Roberts-Thomson, 2007)

A partnership to embed oral health

Mallee District Aboriginal Services

•has a very successful program of early childhood services

•recognised the need for oral health to be integrated into all

programs

•wanted to build the knowledge and confidence of staff to

discuss oral health with families

•Requested DHSV to develop an appropriate oral health

education program for staff

Developing bigger better smiles….

• Content determined by needs assessment.

• Content:- Baby teeth – who cares? - Deadly Teeth 101- Key messages for deadly teeth- Building confidence in families for good oral

health - Experiencing the public dental service – site

visit to Sunraysia Community Health Dental Service

- Refection and identifying actions- Lift the lip (optional session offered to staff

with clinical roles)

• Participatory process

• Workbook provided

Piloting Bigger better smiles

Future Directions - MDAS

1. Oral health checks and promotion in all templates and check lists for workers

2. Engage other program workers in oral health e.g. Drug and Alcohol staff and Social and Emotional Well Being Workers

3. Have oral health goal or target and promote to the community e.g. number of lift the lip.

4. Continue partnership with Sunraysia Community Dental Service to� strengthen referral pathways� offer mouth checks onsite within

MDAS early childhood services promoting early detection and prevention

Future Directions - DHSV

DHSV

1.Adapt and expand delivery of Bigger

Better Smiles to interested ACCHOs

2.Possible ongoing partnership with

MDAS to offer advice and support to

embed oral health promotion in services

3.Partner with ACCHO’s and VACCHO to

address the gap in culturally appropriate

oral health information resources

Thank you - For more information contact

Rebecca Crawford

DHSV Health Promotion Team

(03) 9341 1313

rebecca.crawford@dhsv.org.au

Gillian Lang

DHSV Health Promotion Team

(03) 9341 1162

gillian.lang@dhsv.org.au

James Peterson & Paul Roberts

MDAS Aboriginal Health workers

jpeterson@mdas.org.au

proberts@mdas.org.au

(03) 5018-4100