Oral health promoters are people who help others to manage and improve their health. It uses appropriate indicators for high-risk individuals to identify the impact of health determinants, recognize therapeutic barriers, and work with other community partners to help improve community health.[2] Dental professional treats patients with expertise in oral health, which can be considered as the gateway to the human body. It is clear that the dental professional is also in charge to promote patient's systemic health. It has been reported that oral disease is one of the chronic diseases that affects more than half of the population, and it is related to systemic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, if a patient asks a question about the relationship between oral health and systemic disease, the answer should be able to motivate their oral health behavior to improve their overall health.

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    As a first reflection, I was not sure exactly what health promotion entailed. I did not know about the detailed mechanisms of the close interaction between oral health and general health and did not think it had any significant effect on its severity. I have learned more about my role in health promotion and dental hygiene by preparing various presentations this year. 

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     As part of a community class project, my team provided an education material for the visitors of community health care (WISH) clinics (i.e. primarily immigrants, indigenous people, and low-income groups) in "The Effects of Smoking on Oral Health." We had the task of promoting oral health through literature review . I had already volunteered at the WISH Clinic and were accustomed to the way they communicated. We produced information board regarding tobacco and oral health, smoking cessation information, government assistance programs, smoking cessation and systemic health, and chemical composition. Unlike any other presentation, the main purpose was to induce direct participation from visitors, so we created a "tobacco toss" game, a variation of the "beer pong" game, which encouraged participants to draw their own questions and give their answers. When we designed the presentation board, it was important that the message was clear and would make them decide to set up a quit date and try recommended products for the target group. This included the use of plain language, pamphlets with scales, and information regarding nicotine products, which could be taken home so that they could make decisions and choices to suit their preferences. It also included measures to facilitate access to treatment, including handouts where community clinics were listed, phone numbers that clients could refer to if they needed inexpensive dental care and smoking cessation from Cancer society of Canada. As a dental hygienist, this project was a great opportunity to prepare a role as an oral health promoter by motivating people to quit tobacco. I have developed my presentation skills and my presentation material, how to make people interact, I feel that I can be a oral health promoter in the future dental field. [Evidence 1]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence 1. Our display board on Tobacco cessation set up for the oral health fair at the WISH clinic

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         As part of community class project, we had to make our own oral health promotion presentation, which was a student design assignment. This group work allowed us to refresher of knowledge and skills that we have acquired from our first year community health course, as well as add some new tools to our health promotion repertoire. We decided to present to newcomers at the "immigration center" at 100 Adelaide street, Winnipeg, for student design projects. Our theme was 'oral health care education for newcomers'. It was a great learning experience because I had never had an oral health promoting session with a group of newcomers before. Providing research-based knowledge to the group was rewarding because it could give them the opportunity to change their future oral care habits.

 

  First of all, to gather the information, we met with Shanshan (person in charge) to find out the direction on which the presentation would be based. Then, research and literature reviews were conducted to gather the necessary information using current evidence. We sent an informational poster about the presentation to Shanshan to be advertised our presentation session. We included free toothbrushes and toothpaste to encourage people to attend. In an hour-long presentation, we prepared for the role of a dental hygienist, the progression of periodontal disease, the development of tooth decay and the relationship between general condition and oral health, dry mouth, approach of low-fee dental clinic and nutrition management. We explained various toothbrush methods with hands-on simulations as well as pictures to help understanding of oral - systemic health relationship. There was also a handout that provided information that they could take home and use. We did a pre-test and a post-test to see what the audience learned. After the presentation we conducted a survey to get feedback on what we did. We handed out toothbrushes to everyone who attended. Based on the test results we found, we analyzed a 30% increase in participants' knowledge of oral health topics. Some attendees asked questions about the fluoride's disadvantage during the presentation and I immediately answered it. It was great to have presentation and immediate survey because we were able to pass on the knowledge to newcomers and tested their understanding at the end of presentation session. This experience will help my future career as an oral health promoter. [Evidence 2]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence 2. Student Design Presentation at the Immigration Center on Feb.28. 2020

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      Sharing Smile Day Volunteering

         I volunteered for the disabled as part of my dental hygiene advocacy work which is identified as high-risk of oral disease groups. It was a volunteer event hosted by the University of Dentistry, and Sharing Smiles Day, that takes care of members of Manitoba's special needs community. I participated in this event and recognized the health problems of people with disabilities, while also stressing the importance of oral health care for people with disabilities.

As I worked on various arts crafts with participants, I naturally talked about the importance of oral health and tried to promote positive motivation for their regular dental visits. The event began with fun games and activities led by dental and dental hygiene students and the event also allowed the guardians to participate together so that the effectiveness of education on oral hygiene was achieved effectively. In this point of view, I believe that the event was a meaningful for their quality of life. By playing games and singing songs, I could contribute to their oral health awareness outside the clinic environment that may scare people with disabilities. It was a meaningful time to promote oral health for disability people by showing everyone in our community deserves proper oral health care and treatment. [Evidence 3]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Evidence 3. Sharing Smile day 2019 at Brodie Center

 

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