Review : The availability of oral health training for non-dental health personnel

1. Review :The availability of oral health training for non-dental health personnel Steven Naoum, Richard Cho, NikeetaNaren, Nini Li, David Walker The Faculty of Dentistry, The Poche Centre for Indigenous Health Poche Centre Aboriginal Health Research Symposium, 28 November 2013

2. The Poche Centre for Indigenous HealthFaculty of Dentistry The Problem: • A significant shortage of dental practitioners in rural and remote Australian communities. • A burden of responsibility is placed on NON-dentalpersonnel with limited training in oral health to treat urgent oral health care needs. A solution: • To provide appropriate training for non-dental personnel to enable appropriate triage and management of urgent dental issues within their scope of practice, prior to referral to a dental practitioner.

3. The Poche Centre for Indigenous HealthFaculty of Dentistry The Aim: • To review the oral health training provided to Medical Practitioners, Nurse Practitioners and Aboriginal Health Workers • To ascertain what can be enhanced in the training of non dental personnel serving remote Indigenous communities, especially in the absence of a dental practitioner.

4. The Poche Centre for Indigenous HealthFaculty of Dentistry Methods • A Medline search was conducted with the following terms: • Medical Practitioners: Clinical competence, dental care, doctor, education, emergency treatment, family practice, general practitioners, medical practitioners, oral, physicians, training • Nurse Practitioners: dental, education, midwives, nurse, nurse practitioner, oral, training • Aboriginal health workers: Aboriginal health workers, community health services, community health workers,dental,education, indigenous health worker, Indigenous, rural health services, health services, oral, training

5. The Poche Centre for Indigenous HealthFaculty of Dentistry Preliminary Results • Medical Practitioners: • 817 results • 41 relevant articles • Nurse Practitioners : • 1648 results • 132 relevant articles • Aboriginal health workers: • 512 results • 15 relevant articles • All results were categorized as follows: • Training in Oral Health screening • Training in Oral Health promotion • Training in Clinical interventions • Training in managing acute dental problems

6. The Poche Centre for Indigenous HealthFaculty of Dentistry Conclusions and Implications of Preliminary Results 1. A limited spectrum of oral health training to non-dental personnel is currently provided. 2. Very limited training to non-dental personnel for the management of urgent oral health needs 3. Development of a training program for non-dental personnel serving remote communities in triaging and management of urgent oral health needs. This program will be piloted at Bourke AHS in 2014.