Nurses help improve the oral health of under fives

Nurses help improve the oral health of under fives in Hawke’s Bay

18th September 2007

Toddlers taken to two Hawkes Bay Primary Health Organisation (HBPHO) practices are getting extra help to take care of their teeth.

When toddlers are brought in for their 15 month immunisations, practice nurses talk to parents about oral care, show them how to check for early decay, and give them a free toothbrush and toothpaste with pamphlets outlining good oral hygiene and healthy diet. The children are pre-enrolled with a dental clinic for their free pre-school checks.

The new programme called Keep me Smiling helps combat the lack of knowledge among parents and caregivers about how to access dental services for their children. Eighty-five percent of parents of 15-month-old children surveyed at the start of the project did not know how to access these services.

During the first 20 months of Keep me Smiling, the practice nurses at Tamatea and Maraenui Medical Centres have pre-enrolled 300 youngsters in dental clinics for their free pre-school dental check. The dental therapist advises the Keep me Smiling project co-ordinator when the child has been enrolled and seen at the clinic. Practice nurses liaise with the family and dental therapist if a child fails to attend their first pre-school dental check.

As the dental therapists are seeing more children and at a younger age, they can reduce the number of teeth extractions required. This reduces trauma for children and also saves money in dental fees.

The project is simple and parents, dental therapists and practice nurses all acknowledge its effectiveness. It is being expanded to include all HBPHO general practices during 2007.

The Keep me Smiling oral health project is supported by the HBPHO ‘Services to Improve Access’ funding stream. The project is one of two HBPHO-funded projects to reach the finals of the 2007 New Zealand Health Innovation Awards (HIA). There are 21 other finalists, four of which are also from the Hawke’s Bay region.

The HIA, a joint endeavour of the Ministry of Health and ACC, were started in 2003 and recognise individuals and organisations that have developed new and innovative approaches to delivering better health services.

Further information about the HIA is available online at http://www.healthinnovationawards.co.nz

This year’s HIA winners will be announced at the HIA expo and gala dinner held on 10 October at the Wellington Town Hall.

ENDS

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