Oral Health Promotion

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• My chosen health promotion activity is the promotion and introduction of fluoridated toothpaste to children living in refugee communities. Dental hygiene workshops and interactive demonstration will be implemented in primary schools during school hours. Children will be able to learn how to appropriately brush their teeth and hygienically care for their toothbrush.
• The use fluoridated products by children and adults is extremely effective in reducing dental caries (World Health Organisation, n.d.). Brushing teeth twice a day using fluoridated toothpaste is an easy and manageable way to introduce fluoride into a community which does not have it in their drinking water.
• The introduction of a school based workshop has been shown to be …show more content…

What would be the advantages of introducing your oral health promotion activity in the community where Ibrahim is living?
• Fluoride is able to prevent acids from causing tooth decay as well as help repair any pre-existing damage (Dental Health Services Victoria, n.d.). Toothpaste is a simple and cost effective item which can be used by a large amount of people and is easily accessed.
• Children will be able to learn and participate in the workshops in a familiar environment, which will help to increase compliance at home and reinforce the importance of oral hygiene. The introduction of programs such as these has shown to be able to increase children’s enjoyment while brushing their teeth at home (Woodall et al., 2014).
3. What would be the challenges of implementing the activity in Ibrahim's community?
• Dental hygiene may not be a high priority area for parents and they may not understand the benefits of their child attending dental hygiene workshops. Some refugees may have low oral health literacy and therefore not continue to use fluoridated toothpaste after the intervention has taken place. Additionally, many parents and possibly some children may have past trauma related to their teeth and gums and not continue to adhere to oral hygiene (Dental Health Services Victoria,

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