Smiles for Miles on the road for Riverland and Mallee

Dental health in the regions is poorer than in the cities, so the Australian Dental Foundation (ADFi)  is pleased to bring its Smiles for Miles project of oral health screening, treatment and education to SA country people.

With support from Country SA PHN, the Foundation is launching an 18-month program to visit schools, childcare and residential aged care facilities in each of SA’s six regional Local Health Networks.

“Our first port of call is the Riverland Mallee Coorong Local Health Network and we have contacted schools and residential aged care facilities in that very wide region to let them know we are on our way,” Dr Miller said.

ADFi’s oral health therapist Han and dental assistant Sasha with Margaret at Lameroo District Health Services.

Sites booked so far for June and July include:

• Kingston-on-Murray Primary School
• Monash Primary School
• Lameroo Regional Community School
• Pinnaroo Primary School
• Pinnaroo Aged Care
• Lameroo Aged Care
• Karoonda Aged Care
• Waikerie Primary School
• Waikerie Lutheran Primary School
• Pioneer Haven Waikerie.

ADFi will also contact schools in Loxton for August, aged care in Berri and provide services to those living with homelessness, in Berri.

“By almost every measure, people living in the regions of SA are suffering from poorer oral health than their city counterparts,” Australian Dental Foundation chairman Dr Greg Miller said, referring to statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

ADFi’s oral health therapist Han and dental assistant Sasha with Luca, for his first dental visit.

“Children have more decay, more hospitalisations for dental issues and less access to the care and education that could help prevent this.

“Seniors living in residential care anywhere can find it hard to get to a dentist but it becomes particularly difficult in the regions where the closest dentist may be hundreds of kilometres away,” Dr Miller said.

“We have dozens of expressions of interest from small schools all over SA. We are very pleased to be able to now get out to those schools so that children can have free checkups and treatment where appropriate,” Dr Miller said.

“We know the absolute best predictor of dental health in adulthood is a person’s dental health in childhood.”

ADFi is Australia’s largest dental health charity. Over a decade in operation it has assisted more than 38,000 vulnerable Australians to access oral health services through its fixed and mobile clinics.

Smiles for Miles is presented by the Australian Dental Foundation with support from Country SA PHN (Primary Health Network) through the Australian Government PHN program.

ADFi’s oral health therapist Han at Lameroo Kindergarten.

Facts and figures

• Children aged 5 to 10 who live in remote or very remote areas are twice as likely as their city counterparts to have a baby tooth missing because of decay.¹
• First Nations children are twice as likely to have a tooth missing due to decay than non-indigenous children.¹
• In most regional areas, fewer than 50% of the children who are eligible for the Child Dental Benefits Schedule are accessing that program.²
• Children in regional South Australia have been identified (by SA Dental) as a priority population, with increased risk driven by:  environmental and social determinants (e.g. diet, water quality, obesity); reduced access to preventive and early intervention services; limited workforce availability.³
• The average South Australian aged 75 and over has 23 missing, decayed or filled teeth¹

1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
2. SA Dental
3. SA Oral Health Alliance

For more information, other photos and dates for our visits, contact Shauna Black.   shauna@dentalfoundation.org.au or 0409 096 846