ORAL health educator Siobhan Shannon aims to help put people more at ease in a visit to the dentist. In her work, Ms Shannon also equips people with individual care techniques in a bid to prevent them coming back for a major visit.
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New research is calling for an increase of oral health therapists in the public dental system in a bid to save millions in government funding and to reduce wait lists for disadvantaged Australians.
The Deakin University study suggested the narrower skill scope of oral hygenists, predominantly focused on prevention and cleans, could allow dentists to work more on complex procedures.
Ballarat Health Services' clinic in Sebastopol instead is working to promote the role of oral health educators, like Ms Shannon, who start as dental assistants. While OHEs do not do the deep cleaning of an oral hygienist, they do play an important role in prevention awareness.
If we can get people to come a bit more often, before there's a serious issue, and educate them it should help.
- Siobhan Shannon, Ballarat Health Services oral health educator
Ms Shannon is one of three oral health educators who will meet with patients before the dentist in Sebastopol.
She said most patients appreciated the extra time to ask questions or be put at ease before the dentist took a look at their mouth. For example, Ms Shannon said this could be handy for children with misplaced teeth, making sure they can floss and brush to best suit their teeth.
"It's really important for us in public health to become a bit more preventative," Ms Shannon said. "A lot of people avoid the dentist and get into bigger problems. If we can get people to come a bit more often, before there's a serious issue, and educate them it should help."
Click on the image to take a bite into big health reasons you need to know about your mouth
Grampians children have among the state's worst rate of rotting smiles. Three in five Grampians children were presenting to public dental clinics with tooth decay, according to Dental Health Services Victoria data.
Ms Shannon said sugary drinks remained one of the biggest challenges for patients in the Sebastopol clinic. More people were turning towards flavoured mineral waters, Ms Shannon said, and health promoted drinks like kombucha but these still had sugar content.
BHS' dental team works in kindergartens, schools, maternal and child health services and aged care to promote good oral hygiene.
Deakin University researcher and oral hygienist Tan Nguyen said government savings on increasing the ratio of hygienists to dentists in public health could be re-invested into education programs.
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