Nurturing Bright Smiles for Children in the Central Great Southern!
Parents, carers and families of children aged 1 - 4 years, living in the Central Great Southern region of Western Australia, are all smiles following two visits this year, from Dr Jilen Patel, accompanied by four dental students from the University of Western Australia.
The dental students have been taking part in the Central Great Southern – Child Health Project.
Photo credit: PeopleImages
This one of a kind co-designed pilot program is focused on promoting healthy oral hygiene and good dental care in young children. This initiative aims to prevent dental problems in the early stages and provide timely care, ultimately preventing and reducing hospital admissions due to dental health issues.
Caring for our kids teeth!
Promoting healthy oral hygiene in the early years.
The program has been made possible via the Early Years Partnership, a 10-year partnership between the Western Australian Government (Departments of Communities, Health, and Education), the Minderoo Foundation, and the Telethon Kids Institute. The initiative is also supported by WACHS, Rural Health West and Amity Health.
The team saw an impressive 107 children during their July visit, for screening and treatments, 64 of whom were children not seen during their prior visit in March. Collectively, the team has been able to reach an encouraging 55% of children between the ages of 1-4 years in the Central Great Southern.
Part of Dr Jilen Patel’s July visit included a presentation at the Katanning Health Service, demonstrating to local health practitioners how to take dental photographs, with the aim to build community capacity to sustain the program for the long term in the area.
The team is busily preparing for the next visit which will take place from 11th to 15th of September 2023.
During this visit, Dr Jilen Patel will be providing low risk dental surgeries for children previously identified at screenings during past visits.
Keep an eye out for our flyers promoting where the next clinics will be in the Central Great Southern, or if you’d like more information please call Kellie, Amity Health’s Early Years Dental Coordinator 0419 100 117.