Taking a closer look at the oral health of Victorians
Seventy-nine comprehensive oral health profiles specific to local government areas have been released to help councils with planning and program development.
The profiles have been created by DHSV and the Victorian Department of Health, in partnership with local governments across the state.
Dr Anil Raichur, Senior Project Officer at DHSV said local government is well placed to plan population health and wellbeing programs.
"Good oral health is crucial for overall health and wellbeing and yet, while being largely preventable, tooth decay remains Victoria’s most prevalent health problem - five times more prevalent than asthma," Dr Raichur said.
The oral health profiles were released to inform health promotion planning processes including the finalisation of the local government Municipal Public
Health and Wellbeing Plans (MPHWP), a key strategic planning mechanism for public health and wellbeing efforts at the community level.
"The profiles highlight how specific behaviours and lifestyle factors impact oral health and their prevalence in each local government area. They include tobacco use, diet, oral hygiene habits and other influencers," Dr Raichur said.
DHSV CEO, Dr Deborah Cole said that dental teams play a pivotal role in helping their patients to reduce the incidence of preventable chronic diseases by providing necessary information about risk factors and behaviours that impact on health.
"Dentists can help reduce the impact of chronic disease by promoting healthy lifestyles in their communities," Dr Cole said.
"There are strong links between lifestyle behaviours and increased risk of tooth decay and other dental issues,"she said.
“These oral health profiles will help dentists and other oral health professionals to understand these links through comprehensive data that is specific to their local area."