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

John Skinner,Albert Yaacoub,Boe Rambaldini,Yvonne Dimitropoulos,Debbie Mccowen,Rachael Moir,George Johnson,Kylie Gwynne

doi:10.22605/rrh5789

Abstract

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. 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. 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. 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.

Highlights

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)
To evaluate the Dalang Project several methods were used. This included an analysis of oral health workforce programs over the past 5 years and their relationship, if any, to ACCHSs, and to state and national strategic plans for oral health and the health of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to provide context for the evaluation of the Dalang Project
Graduates were asked ‘What specific personal and oral health skills did you acquire or improve upon during your Dalang Project graduate year?’ Responses included: I definitely learnt how to communicate and socialise better with people from all walks of life, especially because I've come to find that people in the country are more open to conversation than my people in Sydney

Summary

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). 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. Conclusion: The Dalang Project is an example of a successful codesigned 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

Methods

Results

Conclusion