The Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) Smiles 4 Miles team was presented with a 2012 Victorian Health Promotion Award for 'Building Health Through Education' this week. The award, presented by VicHealth as part of the 2012 Health Promotion Foundation’s 25th Anniversary celebration, is a great acknowledgement of the work we are doing to improve the dental health of Victoria’s children.

The Smiles 4 Miles program helps kindergartens and early learning centres across the state to implement healthy policies and develop curriculum to promote three simple messages - eat well, drink well and clean well. It is a great program, made successful by our wonderful coordinators. The close relationships they have with their preschool communities and the support they have from their local areas has meant we can reach more children, more effectively.

DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole says the award recognises the hard work being done at the grass roots level to combat dental diseases in the Victorian community.

“The Smiles 4 Miles program is helping Victorian kids to take care of their teeth and gums from an early age. We want to stop the development of the largely preventable oral diseases that plague the children of Australia, before they become a problem,” said Dr Cole.

“Our sincere thanks go to all of our wonderful Smiles 4 Miles managers, coordinators and staff. This is a team effort and DHSV is proud that together we are making a difference to the health of Victoria's children.”

Launched in 2003, the program now reaches over 25,000 children each year through 459 kindergartens and early childhood centres across Victoria. 

Thank you to all the staff members at Smiles 4 Miles early childhood centres as well as the children and their parents who have so enthusiastically embraced this program.

The VicHealth Health Promotion Awards are presented annually. More information is available on the VicHealth website.
 

IN an Australian-first, Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) is investigating a painless method of treating tooth decay in young children.

A research team led by Professor Hanny Calache is conducting a pilot study using stainless steel caps (also known as stainless steel crowns) to seal decay in young children’s teeth without using a needle or a drill.
Sealing tooth decay stops it from getting worse.

“We believe this technique can make a real difference,” Prof Calache, a pediatric dentist said. He said children do not experience any discomfort during the procedure, it takes less than 15 minutes to complete and can be provided at a reasonable cost.

Stainless steel crowns have been in use for more than 60 years, but this is the first time in Australia that they have been investigated to seal tooth decay in pre-school aged children. Known as the Hall Technique, the method has been tested in Scotland in primary school aged children with much success over a five year period.

Prof Calache, Director of Clinical Leadership, Education and Research at DHSV, said unfortunately it was not unusual for very young children to suffer decay in their first teeth.

He said this problem was usually managed in hospital under a general anesthetic at a cost of at least $9 million dollars a year for Victorian children.

Dr Deborah Cole, the Chief Executive Officer of DHSV, said preventing dental decay was a priority as it was the most preventable cause of hospital admissions in young children in Victoria. She said tooth decay was one of Victoria’s most prevalent health problems, with more than half of all children affected.

If shown to be successful this technique, combined with appropriate preventive care, could significantly reduce the need for children to be hospitalised for the management of tooth decay.
The stainless steel crown is fitted over a toddler’s tooth and remains there until the tooth falls out naturally. By completely covering the decay, the crown prevents existing decay from progressing and new decay from developing on another part of the tooth, therefore preventing further problems, such as abscesses.

“The beauty of this is that the baby tooth treated in this way is unlikely to require further treatment after the crown is put in place and the crowned tooth functions just like an unaffected tooth,” Prof Calache said.

Dr Cole said DHSV was passionate about improving Victoria’s oral health and ensuring greater levels of access and higher quality service.

“We believe that use of stainless steel crowns in this way has a lot of potential to make a real difference to young Victorians.”

Media background:

DHSV is the leading public oral health agency in Victoria, providing dental services through The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne (RDHM) and purchasing dental services for public patients from 57 community health agencies throughout Victoria.
It also delivers oral health promotion programs across Victoria to improve oral health in the community and reduce demand on public dental services.
DHSV also has a significant role in oral health research and supporting education and training for Victoria’s current and future oral health professionals.

Media contacts:
Lisa Fairweather, Tel: (03) 9341 1134 | 0402 373 585
Email: lisa.fairweather@dhsv.org.au
Robyn Riley, Tel: (03) 9341 1361
Email: robyn.riley@dhsv.org.au

www.dhsv.org.au
Follow us on Twitter – www.twitter.com/_dhsv
 

If you have a dental emergency over Christmas please call The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne’s Emergency Department on 1300 360 054.

If you have any other enquiries, including changing appointments, please call the general hospital number from 2 January 2013 on (03) 9341 1000 or 1800 833 039 (country call).

How to get to The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne >>

Four International Dental Graduates (IDG) will provide much needed dental care to rural
Victorians after passing their Australian Dental Council exams recently.
 

Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) developed the IDG program for international dental
graduates, whose qualifications were not fully recognised within Australia, to enable them to
undertake supervised clinical work under Limited Registration in typically hard to staff rural
areas throughout Victoria. The program, which involved an intense four-month clinical training
period at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne prior to placements commencing, saw a
100% success rate for the four international graduates.
 

“The program is really about getting the right people, in the right jobs and delivering the right
services to rural patients who are in need of care,” DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole said.
 

“The program is a great way to introduce the graduates to the public dental sector and helps
local clinics to handle demand at the same time. It builds their skills and knowledge and helps
them to meet the stringent Australian quality standards”.
 

The graduates, Dragana Miljkovic Bikicki, Amir Toroghi, Gaurav (Gary) Grawal and Elnaz
Bothani, are now practicing in the Morwell, Geelong and St Albans areas and have settled into
their new roles well. All four are thoroughly enjoying their new work environments and say
their placements bring new opportunities for continuing professional development and to care
for the community.

“I have learned so much over the past 12 months,” Amir said. “Passing my exam means I can
now put this training into action and really help this community that has given me so much.”
“Good oral health is so vital for general health and wellbeing and I really love knowing that I
am helping these people who might have otherwise not had access to care”.

The graduates are now all able to practice independently and all four have been offered
ongoing roles within the practices in which they trained.

“The local communities have been integral to the success of the IDG program. Without the
support and backing of the local people, the graduates would not have integrated into their
new roles so well,” Dr Cole said.

DHSV congratulates and welcomes the graduates and their ongoing contribution to the
Victorian public dental sector.
 

Australia's Healthy Weight Week starts this Sunday 20 January and runs until Sunday 27 January 2013.

Because eating well can improve your dental health so significantly, DHSV has put together some quick and healthy recipes for you to try during Healthy Weight Week.

More tips on achieving your healthy weight can be found on the Australia’s Healthy Weight Week website. Enjoy!

Download recipes here [PDF, 295KB].

The Federal Health Minister, Honourable Tanya Plibersek, visited The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne today to launch the national Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program which will see 46 dental graduates placed in public dental facilities across Australia.

The program will provide much needed services to patients in rural and remote areas and help new graduates to gain invaluable hands on experience in the public dental sector. The Commonwealth Government is investing $88.3 million into the program which, by 2016, will be putting an extra 100 dental graduates a year into the field.

“More graduates, both dentists and oral health therapists, will mean better access to treatment for patients and vitally important oral health promotion and prevention for the many Australians who live in areas that need services most,” said Minister Plibersek.

The Minister met with three graduates during her visit, Deluni Gunawardana, who will be placed at RDHM and Radika Kelapatha and Simone Law who will be placed at Barwon Health.

DHSV supports the program as it will provide graduates with an opportunity to gain confidence and experience through a unique system of mentoring and will mean more public dental patients can get the care that they need.

“We are delighted to be involved in this national program because it highlights what Dental Health Services Victoria is so passionate about: encouraging oral health workers to a career in public dentistry,” said DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole.

DHSV is excited to be part of such a significant program and wishes the graduates well in the next year of their training.
 

Dental Graduates Simone Law, Radika Kelapatha and Deluni Gunawardana with Labour Candidate for Melbourne Cath Bowtell and Federal Health Minister Honourable Tanya Plibersek

Minister Plibersek with DHSV CEO Deborah Cole

L-R: DHSV CEO Deborah Cole, Minister Plibersek, Prof Mike Morgan

Clinical Training Unit embraces innovation

DHSV is changing how we deliver our short courses.

The February 8-week Clinical Training Unit program designed to assist overseas trained practitioners to prepare for the Australian Dental Council examinations will no longer be delivered with paper-based course materials.

Martine Calache, Online Coordinator in the Clinical Training Unit has developed a web-based application that provides a one-stop information resource for course participants which includes:

• course materials
• speaker details
• maps of the hospital and surrounds
• policies and procedures

Special features of the app

• course participants can create personal profiles
• peer networking
• DHSV staff can poll participants on a daily basis about program satisfaction
• the ability to tweak the program according to specific needs which may arise

This innovative mode of materials delivery is a first for DHSV and for training institutions in Victoria. It demonstrates DHSV’s ability to meet new requirements and to stay at the forefront of education program development and delivery.

For more information on courses for oral health practitioners wishing to enhance their clinical practice, visit the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program webpage.

Contact the Clinical Training Unit

Phone: (03) 9341 1376 | Fax: (03) 9341 1234
Email: cpd@dhsv.org.au

The Federal Health Minister, Honourable Tanya Plibersek, visited The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne today to launch the national Voluntary Dental Graduate Year Program which will see 46 dental graduates placed in public dental facilities across Australia.

The program will provide much needed services to patients in rural and remote areas and help new graduates to gain invaluable hands on experience in the public dental sector. The Commonwealth Government is investing $88.3 million into the program which, by 2016, will be putting an extra 100 dental graduates a year into the field.

“More graduates, both dentists and oral health therapists, will mean better access to treatment for patients and vitally important oral health promotion and prevention for the many Australians who live in areas that need services most,” said Minister Plibersek.

The Minister met with three graduates during her visit, Deluni Gunawardana, who will be placed at RDHM and Radika Kelapatha and Simone Law who will be placed at Barwon Health.

DHSV supports the program as it will provide graduates with an opportunity to gain confidence and experience through a unique system of mentoring and will mean more public dental patients can get the care that they need.

“We are delighted to be involved in this national program because it highlights what Dental Health Services Victoria is so passionate about: encouraging oral health workers to a career in public dentistry,” said DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole.

DHSV is excited to be part of such a significant program and wishes the graduates well in the next year of their training.
 

Dental Graduates Simone Law, Radika Kelapatha and Deluni Gunawardana with Federal Health Minister Honourable Tanya Plibersek

Minister Plibersek with DHSV CEO Deborah Cole

L-R: DHSV CEO Deborah Cole, Minister Plibersek, Prof Mike Morgan

DHSV staff welcomed visitors from the Vanuatu Dental Care Program to The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne last week.

The visiting healthcare workers, Bob Natuman and Morinda Toara, are in Melbourne for an intensive four-week training on the key areas of oral health practice and promotion.

Their training include anatomy of the oral cavity, oral function, oral biology, charting, caries risk assessment, oral pathology (including dental caries), oral health education and prevention, atraumatic restorative treatment (ART – a low cost tooth filling procedure designed for developing countries), infection control, education materials and resources, and practical oral health promotion strategies.

The visit to DHSV focused on discussing with the health promotion team various strategies that could be appropriate in Vanuatu. Bob and Morinda were accompanied by Robert Latimer, a coordinator of the Vanuatu Dental Care Program which is an AusAID funded program with an emphasis on oral health education and prevention.

DHSV is proud to contribute to this project which will benefit people living in rural villages with little or no access to dental and other healthcare services.

Read more about the Vanuatu Dental Care Program.
 

Victorians will be all smiles after the launch of a new program to help improve the oral health of children and pregnant women by Victorian Government Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Wendy Lovell today.

The Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles program is an initiative of the Victorian Government and a partnership between Dental Health Services Victoria and health and early childhood workers across the state. It will help build knowledge, skills and confidence and enable these key community workers to better promote good oral health to children and pregnant women.

“We want to make sure that smiles stay healthy during early childhood and pregnancy and the best way to do that is to start early,” Minister Lovell said.

“We know that tooth decay affects more than half of all children and a mother’s oral health is important for her baby. We also know that poor oral health can affect general health so focusing on prevention, especially in early childhood, will mean healthy smiles now and healthier Victorians in the future,” she said.

Dental Health Services Victoria is supported by the Victorian Department of Health to deliver Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles until mid 2015.

The program will primarily focus on professionals who provide services for pregnant women and children aged 0-3 years such as midwives, maternal and child health nurses, general practitioners, Aboriginal health workers and child care educators.

“Families with young children tend to use allied health services more often than they visit a dentist. Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles will enable these professionals to teach their patients about healthy eating and drinking, good oral health practices and ‘smile-friendly’ services,” Minister Lovell said.

Minister Lovell officially launched the program at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne today and was joined by the Chairman of the Board of Dental Health Services Victoria Mick Ellis to present certificates to the program’s first participating midwives.

Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles aims to help improve the oral health of children and pregnant women

Victorian Government Minister for Children and Early Childhood Development, Wendy Lovell at the launch

L-R: Mr Mick Ellis, Chair of the DHSV Board, State Minister Wendy Lovell, DHSV CEO Deborah Cole, Mercy Health Executive Director Dr Linda Mellors  

First batch of midwives participating in Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles

Media enquiries:

Robyn Riley
Communications Manager
Tel: (03) 9341 1361
Email: robyn.riley@dhsv.org.au
 

Allison Ridge
Health Promotion Program Coordinator: Healthy Families, Healthy Smiles
Dental Health Services Victoria
Tel: (03) 9341 1144
Email: Allison.ridge@dhsv.org.au
 

The Research and Innovation Grants program aims to encourage high quality research with the potential to improve clinical outcomes, number of patients treated and better health literacy for DHSV priority groups.

This initiative is open to DHSV staff, and staff of public oral health services funded by DHSV. These grants will play a vital role in seeding innovation, and supporting the development of high quality proposals. They are also capable of attracting external funding.

The successful 2013 grant recipients are:

Children’s Dental Program

Prof Mike Morgan
eviDent Chief Investigator

Led by Prof Mike Morgan, this project will investigate whether school-based dental screening can retain high-needs child patients using existing publicly funded community health services.

The DHSV Clinical Guidelines Pilot Study: Measuring adherence to evidence-based clinical practice guidelines

Dr Richard Clark
Epidemiologist

The Pilot Study aims to develop a model to compare the quality of clinical practice with best practice clinical guidelines and use this model to assess the adherence of oral health practitioners’ clinical practice to these guidelines.

Workforce reorientation to enhance dental service delivery: Opportunities for improvements in access to dental health services and health literacy within the community of Northwest Metropolitan Melbourne

Bree Jones
Oral Health Program Leader

The project proposes to re-orientate the way in which public clients commence their journey through the dental public health sector.
 

Victorian Premier, Mr Ted Bailleu, has awarded Dr Sajeev Koshy, RDHM Specialist Dentist with the Victorian Multicultural Award for Excellence.

The award is part of a Victorian Government initiative and recognises the achievements and services of individuals and organisations that have actively supported cultural diversity and made a real impact in promoting harmony in our community.

Dr Koshy divides his time between his roles of Senior Specialist Endodontist, The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne, Director of Dental Services, Plenty Valley Community Health and Director of Dental Service, Boort District Health Services.

Dr Koshy is also the Federal Secretary of the Australian and New Zealand Academy of Endodontists Inc.

He received the award for his leadership in the public health sector and dedication to dentistry, particularly in providing care for Victoria’s multicultural communities.

Mr Bailleu said “each of the recipients has illustrated selfless commitment in their chosen field to create positive opportunities for their own communities as well as delivering benefits to the broader Victorian community as a whole.

The outstanding achievements and goodwill will further highlight the values and advantages that the State of Victoria reaps from having such a wonderfully diverse, multicultural community.”

Congratulations Dr Koshy, DHSV is very proud of you and the work you do for Victorians in need.

DHSV will be celebrating Cultural Diversity Week from Monday 18 March to Friday 22 March.

Cultural Diversity Week is an opportunity for Victorians to come together to share aspects of their culture, faith and language and celebrate the benefits of multiculturalism.

There will be a wonderful array of diverse musical performances for the enjoyment of patients and staff including an indigenous performer to celebrate Harmony Day and Close the Gap Day on Thursday 21 March.

Performances will take place in the RDHM foyer from 10.30am and will finish with a set on the outside balcony of Toothpicks Café between 12.30pm-1pm.

----------------------

Along with in-house performances, there is Viva Victoria and the Black Harmony Gathering that can be enjoyed as part of the celebrations.

Viva Victoria is held on Sunday 24 March to celebrate multiculturalism with delicious food from around the world, cultural arts and crafts market, free kids activities and cultural workshops.

This is a free one-day festival of spectacular musical and dance performances at Federation Square.

The 10 Year Anniversary of The Black Harmony Gathering is on Sunday 17 March at the Fairfield Amphitheatre from 1pm-5pm.

The Black Harmony Gathering promotes reconciliation, diversity, social inclusion, respect and the breaking down of racism.

At this event people of all cultures can enjoy an afternoon of performances on the banks of the Yarra where there will be music, singing, dancing, and the opportunity to learn about different cultures.

 

More information

• Viva Victoria 2013: Sunday 24 March
• Black Harmony: Sunday 17 March

An ABC camera crew recently followed volunteers involved in the Mobile Dental Program around the northern Mallee region of Victoria. The story was featured on the network’s 7.30 Report late last week.

Blackburn dentist Dr Tony Robertson and visiting UK pediatric dentist Dr Andrea Aspinall were filmed examining and treating patients and making presentations to school groups.

“It was a great experience,” Dr Robertson said. Writing from England, Dr Aspinall said: “I found the whole week a fantastic experience … the car journey itself gave me more of a concept of how vast and remote the area is. The program has great potential and I know we were involved in the early stages but I do believe it has the potential to make a difference to the local region in the future”.

Drs Aspinall and Robertson are part of a group of volunteer dentists working from the van. Each month a pair of dentists spends a week in this remote area providing basic oral care to disadvantaged members of the local communities.

The specially fitted van – based at Robinvale - is operated by the RFDS Victoria in association with Dental Health Services Victoria and ADAVB. The project works with the dental arm of Robinvale District Health Services and the Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative.

Dr Robertson said that the van visited local school and child care groups and an aged care facility, along with numerous local agricultural businesses, such as Boundary Bend estate – the nation’s largest olive producer, setting up arrangements for visits by future groups of volunteers to conduct screening examinations. Many of these patients, including migrant workers from Tonga, experience great difficulty in accessing dental care.

Looking back on the venture, Dr Aspinall said: “I enjoyed the mix of going out on the road and treating patients. It made for an interesting week. Travelling out to the farms and estates was an eye opening experience and they seemed incredibly receptive to us going out there in the future to screen. I do feel that we need to be able to offer them treatment as well and not just screening as the farm workers would not travel for half a day to the other nearest community clinic.

“It's a great experience overall of working in a different environment, and with new teams of people. It's also a beautiful area to visit scenery wise and I loved the fact we had kangaroos at our back door!”

The RFDS Victoria has established the Everyday Hero website for people who would like to support the program by donating online. Go to the Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria section of everydayhero.com.au

Dentists interested in being part of the voluntary program should call Royal Flying Doctor Service Victoria, 9429 6344.
 

The mobile dental van in northern Mallee

Dr Andrea Aspinall(left) and dental assistant Bow Harris treat a young patient at Robinvale

Time for a break from treating patients in Robinvale – (from left) dental assistant Suzie Hazell from the Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative, Blackburn dental assistant Bow Harris, visiting UK dentist Dr Andrea Aspinall and Dr Tony Robertson

Photo credits: Dr Tony Robertson

Dr Deborah Cole is taking part in the CEO Sleepout! Show your support here.

There are more than 100,000 Australians who find themselves homeless each night, just under half are women and a quarter are under the age of 18. The annual CEO Sleepout helps Vinnies to grant homeless Australians the  warmth, safety and dignity that they desperately deserve.

The 2013 St Vincent de Paul Society CEO Sleepout gives CEOs from a variety of different organisations across a range of industries a taste of what it is like to be homeless for one night.

By highlighting the plight of homeless people ,Vinnies hopes to raise awareness and much needed funds for homeless services.

This year DHSV CEO Dr Deborah Cole will be taking part.

Her participation will help raise awareness and important funds to support homeless services across Australia.

Donations are being collected to help Vinnies Homeless Services in Australia.

You can support Dr Deborah Cole’s sleepout by visiting her Vinnies CEO Sleepout page.

Donations from a staff casual clothes day in April will be given to Vinnies to help the cause. You can see the positive impact your donation can have on a person’s life via the Vinnie’s Where We Help and Who We Help webpages.

To find out more about the CEO Sleepout, visit www.ceosleepout.org.au or follow the event on Facebook and
Twitter.

Next Friday DHSV will take part in the annual Where the Heart Is... Festival at Fitzroy Gardens.

The festival is held each year to help Melbourne’s homeless to access services they may not have been able to otherwise.

This year is the 10th anniversary of the project, launched initially and run by the Royal District Nursing Service.

DHSV staff and student volunteers will host a stand at the festival and invite homeless people to have a free open mouth check and discuss oral health in a safe environment.

Where necessary, patients will be referred back to RDHM for further treatment.

Representatives from our Health Promotion team will also be on-hand to answer any questions patrons might have.

People who are homeless or at risk of homelessness are part of our priority access group and we need to do all that we can to support these people to access dental care.

The event has been a huge success in past years and DHSV is very proud of its continued involvement.

Read more 

The Gaps in dental health

The health of indigenous Australian communities is in a poor state. People of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent often experience:

• lower quality of life than other Australians due to ill health
• lifestyle choices that harm wellbeing
• more challenges when accessing health services
• more mental illness
• higher hospitalisation than the wider community.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children also have higher levels of dental disease than non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (especially those in socially disadvantaged groups and those living in remote areas) and those levels are rising. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults see:

• more than double the level of tooth decay of non-Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander adults
• more gum disease than non-indigenous adult
• lose all of their teeth more often and at an earlier age.

National Close the Gap day, Thursday 21 March, brings an opportunity to show your support, to talk about, to spread the word, and to take action to improve the oral health and general wellbeing of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community members.

How is DHSV helping to close the gap?
 

Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) is helping to ‘close the gap’ by supporting recruitment of indigenous staff and encouraging more indigenous patients to seek dental care. DHSV recently instated the Indigenous Trainee Program to help find new staff for roles at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne (RDHM).

DHSV also offers support to all indigenous patients through indigenous liaison officers, and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Guide to The Royal Dental Hospital Melbourne has been created specifically to help patients feel more at ease in our hospital.
 

Click here to view DHSV services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities.

So what is a traineeship in dental assisting like?

We asked Wazana Maza, one of our indigenous trainees how she has found her role so far…

“Dental assistants work closely with dental professionals, helping them to treat and educate patients, provide administrative support and help maintain and clean the dental equipment. I’ve found this role a refreshing challenge. I’m learning so much and am really loving meeting new people and developing my clinical skills.”

How does your role help our community?

“With more Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people on the team, DHSV is able to better communicate and associate with indigenous patients at RDHM and make them feel more comfortable in a culturally appropriate hospital environment.”

Why is this traineeship so important?

“It is so important that we start at the local level and work our way up to overall better health outcomes for indigenous communities. Typically the health of the indigenous community is far worse than that of non-Aboriginal people and I want to help fix that.

Plus I get to meet new people, learn so much and care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients from all over Victoria and help them get the care they need.”

How does the traineeship work?

“The dental assistant traineeships run for 18 months and are primarily based at RDHM, Carlton. The program provides trainees with a dedicated mentor, support from the DHSV Aboriginal Community Development Worker, paid study days, monthly days off for personal use, learning and development opportunities and access to a wide range of dental technology and resources. It really is a great way to get involved in improving local indigenous health outcomes.”

Best part of the job?

“The best part of this whole experience is knowing that I’m making a real difference. The key to achieving health equality is working in partnership with Aboriginal people. My Certificate III Dental Assisting will help me to learn new skills to treat people from my community (and the surrounding ones too) and contribute to improving the dental health of people most in need of care.”

Wazana is one of four indigenous DA trainees at RDHM. Please visit our Dental Jobs website for the latest job updates.
 

Meet our DHSV DA trainees Wazana, Kirrilee, Melissa and Alwin

Read more on National Close the Gap Day.

Professor Hanny Calache demonstrates the technique with Matthew

In an Australian-first study DHSV is investigating whether a minimal intervention dentistry approach works in adolescents who are at high risk to developing dental caries (decay).

The DSHV team has started recruiting about 500 teenagers from 12 community dental clinics around Melbourne.

The study, to run for two years, will be led by Professor Hanny Calache. Prof Calache said the study would look at testing whether implementing this approach in a group of high risk adolescents, aged 11-14 years, is likely to be ‘cost effective ’ compared to ‘current practice’ in achieving positive oral health outcomes.

Minimal intervention dentistry (MID) is a multi-pronged approach, based on the premise that early decay can be healed by the application of products such as fluoride varnish and changes to diet and oral hygiene habits to arrest the progression of the disease.

It means trying not to drill and fill because this eventually destroys the tooth, but rather prevent decay.

The intervention group will receive the preventive strategies associated with the MID approach and the control group will receive standard care at the community dental clinics.

 The expected primary outcomes of the study are to:

• Demonstrate a reduction in new and progressing decay amongst the participants who have undertaken this approach
• Demonstrate a cost effectiveness of the MID approach in this study population
• Assess the acceptance of MID approach amongst clinicians, management and the study population

The 2013 International Dental Graduates have started their program at DHSV. The five graduates will undertake an intensive education program up until the end of May and then they will spend a month in primary care seeing patients under supervision before taking up a rural placement for the following six months.

They will then sit their final ADC exam in late November.

Asked about last year’s graduates, Julie McCormack, the Clinical Training Unit Manager at DHSV, said they had, “settled in beautifully”.

“They are a complete asset to the communities they have joined,” Julie said.

This year’s international dental graduates are from left:
Stella Kabarika Amisi from Kenya, Gulfam Sameer Mobin, from India, the co-ordinator of the IDG, Elmira Habibi, Harpreet Kaur Thind from India, Xuan Xu from China and Mehdi Habibi from Iran.