October is National Dental Hygiene Month, which was created to promote good oral health and maintenance. The American Dental Hygienists Association states that it is important to practice good dental hygiene daily, and offer a great poster on the four habits you should practice daily. The habits include brushing twice a day, flossing regularly, rinsing with mouthwash, and chewing sugar free gum after meals. (1)
Dental hygiene is a very important aspect of overall health, but a concern for American Indian and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). The Pew Charitable Trusts states that Native Americans have the poorest oral health of any population in the country, “2.4 million Native Americans suffer from poor oral health because of a lack of available dentists”. (2) In comparison to the rest of the country AI/ANs also spend less on dental care, also most likely due to lack of available dentists. Specifically, “the U.S. Indian Health Service spent an average of only $99 per person on dental care in 2009, compared with average per capita spending of $272 nationwide.” (2)
Dental Health Aide Therapists in Alaska
A great example of how some populations have tried to address this health issue for AI/ANs is the Dental Health Aide Therapist (DHAT) programs in Alaska. “Since 2004, Alaska Native tribal governments have used midlevel dental providers to address the dental care needs in their communities. Dental health aide therapists (DHATs) provide preventive and routine restorative care, such as filling cavities and performing uncomplicated extractions.” (2)
Because of this program “More than 40,000 Alaska Native people living in 81 previously unserved or underserved rural communities have regular access to dental care thanks to the addition of DHATs to dentists’ teams.” Furthermore, the program makes dental care cost-effective for the areas that it supports, as DHATs perform a small number of the most commonly needed routine procedures. (2)
In 2014 NICOA not only supported this program, but also encouraged the adoption and expansion of the two year training program model to include AI/AN Elders in rural areas all throughout the United States. NICOA’s resolution can be found at https://www.nicoa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/2014-08-NICOA-Elders-Support-Dental-Therapy-for-all-American-Indian-Rural-Areas.pdf.
NICOA Executive Director Randella Bluehouse says to “Brush your teeth every day!”
Sources
- American Dental Hygienists Association. (n.d.). October is National Dental Hygiene Month. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from http://www.adha.org/national-dental-hygiene-month
- The Pew Charitable Trusts. (2015, July 23). The Oral Health Crisis Among Native Americans. Retrieved October 23, 2017, from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/fact-sheets/2015/06/the-oral-health-crisis-among-native-americans
Leave a Reply