Data taken the from the Victorian Preschoolers Oral Health Survey (VPOHS) will inform the development of state wide policy, programs and services aimed at promoting population oral health.
Dental Health Service Victoria’s (DHSV) Centre for Applied Oral Health Research (CAOHR) and the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne has won the 2015 Oral Health Project of the Year at this year’s Public Oral Health Awards.
The award recognised the teams’ work on the VPOHS which was conducted in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Education and Training.
DHSV Chief Executive Dr Deborah Cole said although it was established that more dental disease was experienced in socially disadvantaged communities, the national data available does not include Victorian children.
“The project is unique. The Survey primarily aims to document the oral health status of three, four and five year-old children attending preschools in disadvantaged communities across Victoria,’’ she said.
“The families of 3,430 children in the 3-5 year age group were invited to participate and there was an overwhelming response with 2,084 parents (61%) consenting for their child to take part. Oral examinations were conducted on 1,860 children. Parents also completed a questionnaire to provide information about their family demographics and their child’s exposure to risk and protective factors.”
Care was taken to develop a protocol for the examination that was a child-friendly and non-threatening as possible. The data was able to be collected within the preschool setting by experienced clinicians using portable equipment.
In all, 386 dental referrals were made with 25 of those children requiring urgent care.
For more information or interviews please phone DHSV Media and Community Relations Manager Suzana Talevski on 0407 961 413.