Abstract
Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016 and Sunday, July 24, 2016: According to World Health Organization (2012), 60?90% of school age children have dental cavities. Oral health is essential to a person's general health. It consist of being free from oral infection, mouth and facial pain, tooth decay, tooth loss, or any other condition such as blood borne disease and heart attacks. Many of these issues might restrict a person's ability in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial wellbeing. Some of the risk factors consist of unhealthy diet, poor oral hygiene, and especially availability and access to dental care services. Before traveling to Haiti, we researched Haiti's history, healthcare system, and accessibility to services. In Haiti, children living in especially the rural communities lack access to dental health services. Furthermore, the water supply does not contain sufficient fluoride; which, according to the Center for Disease Control, plays a vital role in decreasing dental caries. We decided to conduct a project related to dental hygiene in the rural area of Carries, Haiti. In June 2015, as part of our elective nursing course which addresses assessment of healthcare services in a global underserved population; we traveled to Haiti to participate in a class project on dental hygiene. When we arrived in Carries, Haiti, we had the opportunity to meet with a group of preschoolers at the Mission of Grace orphanage. We presented our project on dental hygiene. Teaching was done by first assessing how the preschoolers brushed their teeth; followed by demonstrating to the preschoolers the proper techniques for brushing their teeth. To engage the preschoolers, we distributed packages that contain toothbrushes and toothpaste. Each of the preschoolers had the opportunity to practice following our teaching session. The preschoolers were very engaged and happy to participant in our session. The administration and staff of the orphanage also became engaged in our project, and planned to continue many of the steps that we used to engage the preschoolers. It is our hope to return and continue to work with the preschoolers.
Sigma Membership
Non-member
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
N/A
Research Approach
N/A
Keywords:
Haiti, Oral Hygiene, Preschoolers
Recommended Citation
Elmera, Pierre Andre, "Dental Hygiene to Preschoolers in Carries, Haiti" (2016). INRC (Congress). 115.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/inrc/2016/posters_2016/115
Conference Name
27th International Nursing Research Congress
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Cape Town, South Africa
Conference Year
2016
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.
All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.
All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Dental Hygiene to Preschoolers in Carries, Haiti
Cape Town, South Africa
Session presented on Saturday, July 23, 2016 and Sunday, July 24, 2016: According to World Health Organization (2012), 60?90% of school age children have dental cavities. Oral health is essential to a person's general health. It consist of being free from oral infection, mouth and facial pain, tooth decay, tooth loss, or any other condition such as blood borne disease and heart attacks. Many of these issues might restrict a person's ability in biting, chewing, smiling, speaking, and psychosocial wellbeing. Some of the risk factors consist of unhealthy diet, poor oral hygiene, and especially availability and access to dental care services. Before traveling to Haiti, we researched Haiti's history, healthcare system, and accessibility to services. In Haiti, children living in especially the rural communities lack access to dental health services. Furthermore, the water supply does not contain sufficient fluoride; which, according to the Center for Disease Control, plays a vital role in decreasing dental caries. We decided to conduct a project related to dental hygiene in the rural area of Carries, Haiti. In June 2015, as part of our elective nursing course which addresses assessment of healthcare services in a global underserved population; we traveled to Haiti to participate in a class project on dental hygiene. When we arrived in Carries, Haiti, we had the opportunity to meet with a group of preschoolers at the Mission of Grace orphanage. We presented our project on dental hygiene. Teaching was done by first assessing how the preschoolers brushed their teeth; followed by demonstrating to the preschoolers the proper techniques for brushing their teeth. To engage the preschoolers, we distributed packages that contain toothbrushes and toothpaste. Each of the preschoolers had the opportunity to practice following our teaching session. The preschoolers were very engaged and happy to participant in our session. The administration and staff of the orphanage also became engaged in our project, and planned to continue many of the steps that we used to engage the preschoolers. It is our hope to return and continue to work with the preschoolers.