Abstract
Background: Many adolescents are at risk of dental caries and periodontal disease due to poor tooth brushing and dietary behavior. However, these oral health problems can be moderated by providing individuals with preventive care and advice. In New South Wales (NSW) Dental Therapists and Oral Health Therapists (Therapists) working in the public health system can help this vulnerable group by providing free dental care including advice on preventing dental caries and periodontal disease. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence Therapists in the provision of preventive care to adolescents. Method: Sixteen Therapists working in four NSW Local Health Districts (LHDs) participated in three structured two hour focus group sessions to: identify motivators/enablers to providing oral health care for adolescents in a clinic-based setting; and to record their solutions and strategies to enhance preventive practice. These discussions were interactively mapped, audio-recorded for recall and coded for thematic analysis. Results: The participants identified personal self-health values, altruism, professional career satisfaction, professional clinical ethics, and their ability to relate and engage with adolescents as motivators to provide preventive care. They acknowledged that psychosocial determinants of health factors such as mental health, transient home concerns, knowledge of how to access timely oral health care, relying on others for transport, oral health literacy and dental phobias all impacted on their ability to provide effective preventive care to adolescents. These factors were the main reasons why they needed to reach out, advocate and invest time on preventive care for adolescents. Conclusion: The Therapists believed in the value of preventive oral health care but reported that there were some over whelming challenges that impacted on their ability to offer this service.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
