Training for those who support homeless people with their oral health
University of Dundee and NHS Education for Scotland train oral health professionals.
Researchers at the University of Dundee, in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland, are leading training for oral health professionals who support people who are homeless or in prison.
People in these circumstances face many challenges in accessing oral healthcare, said Dr Andrea Rodriguez, of the University’s School of Dentistry, and lead research programmer.
Dr Rodriguez, whose background is in social psychology, works with groups experiencing homelessness in Scotland and in Brazil. She uses participatory methodologies and knowledge-exchange learning to create training programmes for health and social care practitioners in both countries.
The training was recently delivered to staff at NHS Scotland programmes Smile4Life, which supports homeless people with oral health promotion, and Mouth Matters, which supports people in prison.
It brought together coordinators and trainers to explore new areas of development, good practices, strategies and challenges for implementation of both Oral Health Improvement programmes.
Dr Rodriguez said: “Patients within these groups of people have multiple and complex needs so a lot of strategies need to be deployed to support them, and flexibility to adjust the service is essential.
“Many face dental anxiety or other anxiety issues as well as stigma from society around their oral health, which forces a cycle of health inequalities.”
A practical guide was launched at the training session.
David Felix, Postgraduate Dental Dean and director of dentistry, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), said: “NHS Education for Scotland works collaboratively with key partners to reduce inequalities and improve oral health for priority groups (such as those experiencing homelessness or the justice system) through sustainable educational solutions.
“We have a commitment to support behaviour changes through developing and upskilling the health, social care and third sector workforce to support their communities in making healthier choices. We were delighted to partner with the University of Dundee to provide innovative training and knowledge exchange with the NHS and social care workforce from across Scotland.”