Parental Barriers to Uptake of Free Adolescent Dental Care for year 11 Students in the Nelson Tasman Region

Aims: To identify parental/caregiver barriers to the uptake of free dental care by Year 11 adolescents in the Nelson Tasman region
Short Description: Data was obtained from 343 parent/caregivers (response rate 51%) who had a Year 11 adolescent living within their household.  Respondents completed a questionnaire which aimed to determine parent/caregiver knowledge of the adolescent dental service, their adolescents' use of dental services, parent/caregiver involvement in adolescent dental visiting and other influencing factors.
Evaluation: A number of factors, including the level of parent/caregiver education, gender, living situation (partnership or single) and ethnicity impact to varying degrees and in a range of ways upon adolescent dental attendance habits.  No one single factor explains adolescents' non-use of dental services from a parent/caregiver perspective.  Further promotion to parent/caregivers to increase awareness and importance of adolescent dental visiting would be beneficial with a focus on entitlement to services and availability of services. 
                                                                 
Organisation Involved: Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Project Timeline: Feb 07 - Feb 08
Contact Person for further Information:
Anne Price - Adolescent Oral Health Co-ordinator
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Email: anne.jpricek@nmhs2.govtj.nzs

Adolescents Oral Health Programme (Nelson / Marlborough)

Aims: To improve the enrolment and attendance of young people at adolescent oral healths services and develop environments which are supportive of good oral health.
Short Description: This is an ongoing programme targeting adolescent and their parents/caregivers to improve the utilisation rate of free dental care that is available to all adolescent aged between Year 9 and 18 years of age.  The current focus areas of this programme are

• Distribution of "Enrolment for Adolescent Oral Health Services" packs to all Year 8 students to ensure enrolment from the School Dental Service to Adolescent Oral Health Service. A follow up procedure occurs to contact all parents of Year 8 students who did not return an enrolment form.
• Liaising with dental providers directly as required or requested
• District wide newsletter to dentists
• Dental enrolment packs to all secondary schools for their new entrant students throughout the year
• Oral health workshops /information with high-risk out of school youth agencies re oral health messages and enrolment choices
• Current Dental enrolment packs distributed regularly to out of school adolescent agencies
• Dental enrolment processes developed for WINZ adolescent clients/ enrolment and access to services (Marlborough)
• Developing programmes with health co-ordinators of some secondary schools as requested/ supporting the health curriculum (Marlborough)
• Encouraging development of recall methods for some dental practices ie txting reminders, phone night before
• Promotion 0800 phone number ie advertising at movie theatre (Nelson)

Evaluation: Increase in the utilisation rate for Nelson Marlborough region - 64 percent in 2005 and 68 percent in 2006.
Organisation Involved: Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Project Timeline: Ongoing
Contact Person for further Information:  
Anne Price or Monica McKone
Nelson Marlborough District Health Board
Email: anne.jpricek@nmhs2.govtj.nzs or monicja.mckkone@n2mhs.gjovt.nszi 

Adolescents Oral Health Programme (Auckland)

Aims: To increase utilisation of the adolescent service to 85% and to ensure access to a dental provider. We strive to ensure that those areas that do not have many if any contracting dentists in the community have access to dental care via the mobile dental service that can visit high school and colleges.
Short Description: Auckland Regional Dental Service provides free dental care for youth aged from Year 9 (Form 3) up until the 18^th birthday. This service is also free for teens that are under 18 years of age and are working, unemployed or on a training scheme. This free dental care is provided by private dentists who have a contract with their DHB. Free basic and necessary dental care is provided free. This does not include orthodontic care, or accidents which would normally be covered by ACC
Evaluation: Utilisation is gradually increasing year by year.
Organisation Involved: Auckland Regional Dental Service
Project Timeline: Ongoing
Contact Person for further Information:
Corinna Wylie - Regional Adolescents Oral Health Co-ordinator
Auckland Regional Dental Service
Email: Corinjna.Wyklie@w2aitemjatadhsb.govit.nzj

PHO-Based Adolescent Oral Health Promotion Project (Canterbury)

Aims:

1. To promote adolescent oral health by encouraging the target population to improve their oral health habits and visit a dentist regularly
2. Support PHO primary care services to promote and improve adolescent oral health
3. Encourage collaboration among PHOs, oral health providers and the CDHB Planning and Funding Division

Short Description: This project is led by Canterbury Community Primary Health Organisation (PHO) on behalf of the five Canterbury PHOs. As part of this project general practices and community groups throughout Canterbury were visited and provided with resources to enable them to promote adolescent oral health and to facilitate enrolment with a dentist if required. The visits were prioritised to rural practices and practices with higher numbers of enrolled Maori or Pacific. A personalised resource folder was developed for Canterbury general practices, containing: A list of contracted dentists, details on how to enrol, CDHB resources, fluoride and other related oral health topics.
Evaluation: Combined PHO projects can work if they have regular input and reporting at key stages. Preparation of resources and timing of visits to suit general practice is important and family is the most important link to get adolescents to the dentist.
Organisations Involved: Canterbury Community PHO, Christchurch PHO, Hurunui-Kaikoura PHO, Rural Canterbury PHO, Partnership Health Canterbury PHO and Canterbury Districh Health Board.
Project Timeline: January 2007 - December 2008
This project has recently been extended for three years in conjunction with an Oral Health Promotion contract focusing on children under 5 years.
Contact Person for further Information:
Louise Matson
PHO-Based Adolescent Oral Health Promoter
Canterbury Community PHO
Email: louisje@ccpkho.or2g.nzj

Adolescents Oral Health programme (Otago)

Aims:  Recruiting new adolescents that have moved into the area and haven't been enrolled with a dentist and others that haven't returned their transfer cards.  Finding out the adolescents who have missed appointments and talking with them about attending. Targeting as many schools and youth organisations in the area to talk with the adolescents about oral health and recruitment
Short Description of the project: This is an ongoing programme targeting adolescent and their parents/caregivers to improve the utilisation rate of free dental care that is available to all adolescent aged between Year 9 and 18 years of age.  The current focus areas of this programme are

• Ongoing follow up on transfer cards that haven't been returned from 2007 -contacting the parents via phone and letters
• Enrolling students while at high schools and youth organisations
• Discussing with administration staff at the schools about any new students now attending that need to be enrolled
• Face to face contact at youth orientated organisations in area to target the adolescents that have left school -urging them to contact the dentist while it's free for them. 
• Giving away freebies to entice
• Giving presentations designed around preventing tooth decay at this stage of their life to set them up for good oral health in the future -discussions on oral piercings, contact sports and sugary drinks in sipper bottles
• Liaising with Maori Dental and Maori and Polynesian Youth organisations to get the message among their communities of the free service
• Targeting the young mums as utmost important due to how they manage to look after their own health with a child to look after. 
• Increasing the utilisation rate by visiting the Dental providers and obtaining lists of their drop offs to contact and urge the adolescents to attend their appointments.

Evaluation: Increase in the utilisation percentage.
Organisation:  Public Health South
Project Timeline: Ongoing
Contact Person for further Information:
Sharleen Szavay - Adolescent Oral Health Co-ordinator
Public Health South, Otagao DHB
Email: sharljeen.skzavay2@otagjodhb.sgovt.inzj