A dental health education program for Boston's Native American community

Abstract

A three phase dental program was initiated during 1977 to help meet the needs of Boston’s Native American community. A series of five dental health education workshops for adults in the community was designed to accomplish the following goals: 1.to improve the overall attitude toward dentistry among the Native Americans in the community 2.to improve the oral hygiene status among workshop participants 3.to reduce the fear of seeking dental treatment as a barrier to utilization of services Phase one was a series of five weekly dental health education workshops conducted for adults in the Indian community during the months of February and March, 1977. As a result of the workshops, adults in the Indian community are now seeking preventive dental treatment at Boston University School of Graduate Dentistry (BUSGD) on a regular basis. Phase two was the design of a weekly fluoride mouth rinse program for forty children involved in an after school class at the Boston Indian Council (B.I.C.). Staff at the B.I.C. have been trained to administer the program. The arrangement of transportation to a neighborhood health center for Indian children to receive dental treatment was the third phase of the program. This program is still in the planning process as of May, 1977. Results of the three phase program indicated that the main barriers preventing access to dental care in this community are 1ack of transportation and inadequate funding. Therefore, future programs for this community should emphasize the elimination of these barriers. Through the efforts of concerned individuals, the health status of Boston's Indians will gradually improve.