Child and Adolescent Oral Health Project
In 2006 the Ministry of Health announced the vision of "Good Oral Health, for All, for Life". To reach this vision, a review of school dental services was completed, with a clear strategy and vision as to the improvement and access to oral health services.
If you need to contact the MidCentral DHB Child and Adolescent Oral Health Service you can contact them freephone: 0800 825 583 or (06) 350 8619.
Background
New Zealand has reached a turning point for oral health. Several decades of dramatic improvements in the oral health of young people have begun to reverse.
Inequalities in oral health and in access to oral health services have become increasingly evident, with Māori, Pacific, rural and low socioeconomic populations all showing progressively poorer oral health relative to other groups.
Recent reviews of the School Dental Service showed that services are often hampered by ageing equipment and buildings, and models of service delivery that are no longer meeting communities’ needs. Secondary services are under pressure from larger case loads of patients requiring more complex treatment.
Additional funding for both capital and operational expenditure has been made available to District Health Boards throughout New Zealand and MidCentral District Health Board (MDHB) is working on a new model of delivery, a requirement of the Ministry of Health to access new funds.
What is MidCentral District Health Board doing to improve access to oral health services?
A business case for reshaping child and adolescent oral health services throughout the district was developed. In March 2009, MDHB was notified that an updated report and business case was supported by the Ministers of Health, and Finance.
The proposal looks to improve access through increasing the number of mobile services from three to eight, and establishing modern dental clinics to care for around 30,000 children spread across 117 schools.
The access to the service will increase across the year, and several new roles will be established to support the service, including a community dentist. A clinical educator has been appointed who works closely with the public health service and well child providers.
Capital funding of nearly $4m over three years, and additional operating funding of $1.2m a year have been provided to implement the revised structure and delivery of school dental health services throughout the MDHB region.
At the 5 October 2010 Hospital Advisory Committee meeting, a revised Child and Adolescent Oral Health service configuration report was tabled (PDF, 4.8MB).
Equipment Approved
MidCentral District Health Board has approved:
- Three new single chair mobile dental clinic.
- Three new two chair mobile dental clinics (this is in addition to the three existing single chair mobile dental clinics).
- Two new two chair fixed clinics will be located in Palmerston North at Ross Intermediate and Intermediate Normal schools.
- Four “co-located” facilities are planned – in Feilding, Radius The Palms Palmerston North, Horowhenua Health Centre Levin and Tararua Integrated Family Health Centre Dannevirke.
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