Aim:

To facilitate public health practitioners in providing parents, carers and/or service users with efficient education and support that will empower them in achieving and maintaining good oral health and hygiene.

Rationale:
Scotlands surveys reveal high levels of dental decay in children with some proving to have some of the worst 1 2 teeth in Europe . Community profiling highlighted Stoneyburn as an area of deprivation, while NDIP (2011) identifies that the most deprived areas fall below the national target for primary 7 children who have no obvious signs of tooth decay. Good oral health is imperative for overall health and well-being as literature links oral health with systematic disease, respiratory infections, diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and preterm low birth-weight infants which costs the National Health Service millions of pounds each year. For the individual itself poor oral health can result in infection, gum disease, cavities, pain/discomfort and if untreated can result in extraction of teeth. Evidence suggests that adults with perished teeth have low confidence and self-esteem. Due to work commitments and time constraints practitioners do not always have the time to make this information collective and accessible.

Objectives:
Integrating theory and practice, merge evidence-based practice with specialist knowledge to deliver health education and promotion to service users Support the local, national and global policy drivers associated with oral health and hygiene To educate and empower parents to self-manage good oral health practice by making informed decisions about lifestyle factors that influence oral health Share resources with cluster teams while monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of public health input

Local, National & Global Policy Drivers:

NHS Lothian (2007) Primary care modernisation strategy 4 Childsmile (2010) 5 Equally Well (2008) 6 Better Health, Better Care (2007) 7 Scottish Government (2007) 8 Health for all children [HALL 4] (2005) 9 SIGN guideline 47; section 1-7 Preventing dental caries in children at high caries risk 10 The World Health Organisation [WHO] (2012) Risks to oral health and interventio
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Implementation Process
Review current practice surrounding educating parents on oral health Liaise with multidisciplinary stakeholders, such as Childsmile; dental services; public health coordinator, school nurses and antenatal services to consider practice development techniques Collect evidence and tools to be able to deliver both targeted and opportunistic education Develop a resource pack for that will support oral health intervention and education Collate a hand-out resource that can be given to parents/carers Advertise the role of health visitor in relation to oral health promotion Deliver evidence-based education to parents/carers Evaluate the value of oral health promotion for parents/carers Monitor the changing oral health needs of service users Reflect on progress regularly with practice teacher Share information with cluster team

Evaluation:
Questionnaire for parents regarding the value of the health visitors input in relation to oral health Feedback from colleagues On-going peer practitioner reflection to monitor, evaluate and continually enhance oral health intervention. Yearly updates of dental registration figures for adults and children in area of practice which obtained through the freedom of information act.

Outcome:
For health professionals to have a designated folder which contains tools, evidence-based literature and referral procedures that will best equip them to support parents and children achieve optimum oral health. This will support parents and children to be equipped with the knowledge and tools to achieve good oral health be aware of the lifestyle factors that can contribute to improved oral health have accessible oral health support and advice unified approach to oral health between dental services and public health nurses

Progressive outcome:
dental registration figures improve within Stoneyburn increased engagement with dental services reduce oral health inequalities within Stoneyburn

Professional/Personal development:
Leadership skills for facilitation of health promotion and education Integration of oral health theory and evidence-based practice within specialist practice knowledge Self-empowerment to initiate positive change Awareness of my strengths and limitations in assessing, planning, implementing and evaluating an initiative within practice

References
1. Scottish Executive. 2005. An action plan for improving oral health and modernising NHS dental services. Scottish Executive, Edinburgh. 2. ISD Scotland. 2011. National Dental Inspection Programme [NDIP] Report 2011: Executive Summary. [online] www.isdscotland.org 3. NHS Lothian. 2007. Primary care modernisation strategy. [online] www.nhslothian.scot.nhs.uk 4. NHS Scotland. 2010. Childsmile improving the oral health of children in Scotland. [online] www.child-smile.org.uk [accessed: 09.02.2012] 5. Scottish Government. 2008. Equally Well: Report of the ministerial task force on health inequalities, volume 2. Scottish Government, Edinburgh. 6. Scottish Government. 2007. Better Health, Better Care. Scottish Government, Edinburgh. 7. Scottish Executive. 2007. Delivering a health future: An action framework for children and young people health in Scotland. Scottish Executive, Edinburgh. 8. Scottish Executive. 2005. Health for all children 4: Guidance on implementation in Scotland. Scottish Executive, Edinburgh. 9. SIGN. 2000. SIGN 47: Preventing dental caries in children at high risk caries. [online] www.sign.ac.uk [accessed: 09.02.12] 10. WHO. 2012. Risks to oral health and intervention. [online] www.who.int [accessed: 09.02.2012]