INTEGRATING ORAL HEALTH CARE ACROSS NON-DENTAL PROFESSIONALS
PART 2: CASE STUDY Integrated oral health care in midwifery practice
SEGMENT
Filmed in Melbourne, Liverpool, NSW and Sydney | February 2025
INTERVIEWS
Associate Professor Rachel Martin, Adjunct Associate Professor,
University of Melbourne & Western Sydney University &
Director, Australian Network for the Integration of Oral Health (NIOH) & Director, Australian Dental Research Foundation
Dr Ajesh George, Professor of Interprofessional Oral Health,
School of Nursing and Midwifery, Western Sydney University &
Co-Founder & Director, Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health (ACIOH)
Alison Weatherstone, Chief Midwife
Australian College of Midwives
Bonnie Morrison, Health Promotion Team Lead
Dental Health Services Victoria
Cindy Scott, Endorsed Midwife & Registered Nurse
Growing Great Babies and Kids Program, Tweddle &
Early Parenting Centre, Barwon Health, Victoria
Following the Australian Health Journal segment, “Integrating oral health care across non-dental professionals: Part 1 How oral health and cardiovascular health, diabetes and cognitive decline are related”, Part 2 is a Case Study on an integrated oral health care in midwifery practice called the midwifery initiated oral health model, or MIOH for short.
There is limited emphasis being placed on perinatal oral health by prenatal care providers in Australia. Pregnant women have no system in place that can offer them regular oral assessment during pregnancy and prompt dental treatment at minimal or no cost as experienced in other countries. To address the oral health needs of pregnant women, a unique midwifery initiated oral health (MIOH) model was developed to promote and maintain maternal oral health.
The model equips midwives with the skills and confidence to include oral health promotion in the first antenatal care booking visit. Commenced in 2008 in Campbelltown Hospital in South Western Sydney, MIOHis succeeding in improving the oral health knowledge, behaviours and oral health outcomes of pregnant women.
This widely researched online education program was prepared by the Australian Centre for Integration of Oral Health, in collaboration with various partners including Western Sydney University, Sydney & South Western Sydney Local Health District, Sydney Dental Hospital, Dental Health Services Victoria, and the Australian College of Midwives. It was supported by funding from the NSW Centre for Oral Health Strategy, Western Sydney University and the Australian College of Midwives.
Australian Health Journal spoke with some of the key representatives of the organisations involved in the establishment, support and involvement in the program.
To see the Australian Health Journal segment, “Integrating oral health care across non-dental professionals: PART 1 How oral health and cardiovascular health, diabetes and cognitive decline”, click here
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Entering The New Health Frontier
A new parliamentary report ‘The New Frontier: Delivering better health for all Australians’ is recommending significant reforms to the health care system to ensure Australians have better and faster access to the wave of new medicines and technologies.
The bipartisan report makes 31 recommendations to reform Australia’s system for the regulation and reimbursement with the hope that patients will receive faster access to the latest medicines and technologies.
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Child Dental Benefits Schedule needing greater awareness
Since its launch in 2014, the Child Dental Benefits Schedule has seen a gradual increase in participation year on year. The impact of COVID-19 and related shutdowns saw participation fall sharply in 2020. Though it increased 2021, the national target of 41% participation was not reached in 2021-2022, with the total (35.4%) more than three percent below 2018 participation rates.
In an opinion segment, Australian Health Journal spoke with Abano Healthcare Group Clinical Director, Dr Fred Calavassy, with over 30 years of clinical experience, about his observations of the Child Dental Benefits Scheme ways to increasing participation rates.
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Awareness, diagnosis and treatment of Congenital Hypothyroidism
Australian Health Journal spoke to Associate Professor MIchelle Jack about congenital hypothyroidism and newborn screening and her concerns in the varying thresholds for across different states in Australia. Despite the existence of newborn screening programs since the 1970s, there is still controversy surrounding the appropriate screening levels. Congenital hypothyroidism, affecting about one in 3500 infants, can lead to severe intellectual and physical impairment if not diagnosed early. The condition is mainly caused by the thyroid gland’s failure to develop properly, resulting in insufficient thyroid hormone production.
