Through the delivery of health promotion, nurses are able to give patients valuable information, which in turn assists them in the management and improvement of their health. Consequently, there are many areas in need of health promotion implementation. Of these areas, Healthy People 2020 lists oral health in children, adolescents and adults who visited the dentist in the past year, as one of the Leading Health Indicators (LHI). This paper will seek to explain the importance of oral health and why it is significant to the outline of Healthy People 2020. The discussion will include the correlation between the oral health of children and the inconsistent or absent use of oral health care, leading to the high prevalence of poor oral health amongst children. Brief synopses of three articles relating to oral health promotion and wellness strategies will be given. Lastly, an education oral health promotion for children, providing specific ways to encourage lifestyle changes and apply health promotion strategies aimed at increasing the use of the oral health care system and preventing oral health disparities shall be created.
Importance of Oral Health
Oral health is one of the main components that make up our overall health and well-being. Being of good oral health means being without dental disparities, such as cavities, tooth decay, gum disease, and bad breath. It is vital to take care of your teeth and maintain excellent oral hygiene, as many health disorders can begin in the mouth and cause a slow decline in the overall health of an individual. Similarly, maintaining good oral health gives an individual a sense of confidence, as well as the ability to convey emotions such as smiling.
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Focusing on Oral Health in Children
One’s oral health is shaped during his childhood days. It is important for parents to show their children how to brush and take care of their teeth early enough and also for children and adolescents to be educated by nurses and other health practitioners on the best methods to be adapted for proper oral health. Furthermore, the sensitivity of one’s teeth tends to vary among people. Therefore, it is important for children to individually seek oral health advice from health practitioners. The target population for this project will be children and adolescents. ("Children's Oral Health", n.d.) brings to light how poor oral health has led to more children missing school and hence receiving lower grades. The statistics provided by this article are wanting. An estimate of 20 percent of children falling in the age bracket of 5 to 11 goes to school with a tooth that is decayed and has not been treated. As for adolescents aged between 12 and 19, the percentage stands at 13%. This project falls under OH-7 in the Leading Health Indicators priorities for Healthy People 2020.
Summary of Articles
(Lutfiyya, Gross, Soffe & Lipsky, 2019) focuses on the deficit that arises when health services are provided and individuals not visiting the dentist for a period of one year. The journal supports the debate that improving dental care ultimately improves coordination of patient care and overall medical care.
(Eklund, 2017) outlines how there has been a decline in the quality of health services currently being provided. Since the beginning of the 21 st century, the number of cases of dental carries being reported significantly dropped especially in the adult population. Consequently, the reparative and restorative services provided to individuals who were affected substantially declined because the number of compromised teeth have grown fewer.
(Biordi et al., 2015) suggests that improving access and providing preventive oral health care to young, low-income, and poor children by utilizing interdisciplinary partnership can help improve oral health care. An interdisciplinary team typically consists of a nurse practitioner and a dietitian team. A single team works together to provide oral health assessments, fluoride varnish application, education, and dentist referrals. Every person’s oral health, hygiene, and dietary habits are checked and the practitioners given the opportunity to advise accordingly.
Educational Health Promotion Project
It is an obligation as a nurse to care for the health and wellbeing of others. By caring for others, it may mean caring for entire populations. As dictated by (Biordi et al., 2015), concerned health practitioners forming interdisciplinary partnerships will greatly contribute towards curbing the menace that is oral health. A basic interdisciplinary partnership could consist of a nurse and a dietitian. The two could work together to diagnose health-related problems in the target population and also advise them on steps they could take to improve their dental health. More emphasis should be put on the importance of regularly visiting the dentist. Children could then be advised on the diets that could affect their oral health both negatively and positively. Furthermore, the nurses can identify oral health problems in case they are present in the target population and then recommend ways they could be treated and avoided.
There are specific ways that the caregivers could help promote lifestyle changes in the target population. The first way it to provide constantly visit the target population every three months for a period of two years to inculcate the culture of changing one’s toothbrush after every three months. Secondly, the caregivers could monitor diaries of the target population that indicate the number of times an individual has visited the dentist every year.
Conclusion
In conclusion, oral health is on the list of Leading Health Indicators from Healthy People 2020, due to the fact that it is so important to the overall health and wellbeing of each and every individual no matter what age, gender, race, culture, or part of the world you live in. To maintain a healthy lifestyle, you must maintain healthy teeth and gums with good oral hygiene. In order to keep populations thriving and healthy, we must instil in our children the seriousness of oral health and how to maintain good oral hygiene and the importance of routine visits to the dentist.
References
Biordi, D., Heitzer, M., Mundy, E., DiMarco, M., Thacker, S., & Taylor, E. et al. (2015). Improving Access and Provision of Preventive Oral Health Care for Very Young, Poor, and Low-Income Children Through a New Interdisciplinary Partnership. American Journal Of Public Health , 105 (S2), e23-e29. doi: 10.2105/ajph.2014.302486
Children's Oral Health. Retrieved 9 August 2019, from https://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/basics/childrens-oral-health/index.html
Eklund, S. (2017). The Impact of Improved Oral Health on the Utilization of Dental Services. Journal Of Dental Education, 81(8s), 110-119. doi: 10.21815/jde.017.017
Lutfiyya, M., Gross, A., Soffe, B., & Lipsky, M. (2019). Dental care utilization: examining the associations between health services deficits and not having a dental visit in past 12 months. BMC Public Health, 19(1). doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-6590-y
