Page 24 - ICD Newsletter November 2021 Final Draft_Neat

scope of practice on a different procedure/ treatment Progress Report
modality, for example, year 1 silver diamine fluoride
(SDF), year 2 ART/Sealants and so on. The target is The Maluk Timor Oral Health Team has been
working for over 6 months to get to the point where
to upskill dental nurses, assess their competencies
and expand their scope of practice in CHC’s across CPD training of government staff will be ready to
commence in early 2022. The training syllabus and
Dili municipality to reduce the suffering created from
dental caries. trainer manuals have been prepared by Prof Bethy
Turton with help from Dr Sanjay Mathew, the Maluk
Timor dentist in Dili. Development has been in
consultation with the Ministry of Health, National
Dental Association Timor Leste, Municipal Health
Services Dili (SSM Dili), and the Institute Nasional
Saude (INS). This obviously has taken time but we
believe we are on track to have all approvals and
logistics in place to start on time in early 2022.

This first module on silver diamine fluoride (SDF)
application is but the first small step in what is a
large and long term project so we are endeavouring
to do it well to facilitate good long term relationships
with all stakeholders.

Regarding CPD sustainability, INS has a health
‘Training of Trainer’ (TOT) module, whereby health
professionals are trained to be certified trainers
and facilitators of specific INS accredited upskilling
modules. In partnership with INS, we will establish
learning materials for the theoretical component
of this project. MT trusts that by developing CPD
modules to be delivered through the INS and MOH
system, they will receive INS accreditation which will
ensure sustainability and efficiency to be carried by
the national bodies into the future.
This is step one in a whole of country program which
To ensure implementation, MT will work with will take years. We hope to eventually raise the
experienced national dentists within MOH and the capacity of the Oral Health Department of Timor
National Dental Association Timor Leste. These Leste so that the vast majority of the people of
dentists are well respected within Timor Leste and Timor Leste have access to at least good preventive
are viewed as senior professionals by their peers measures and basic dental treatment.
(dental nurses). Through our consultations with the
MOH, INS, National Dental Association Timor Leste, Ross Dunn AM, rltravellers@gmail.com
and Municipal Health Services Dili (SSM Dili), we Janeice Carrascalao, manager@maluktimor.org
understand that involving the senior dentists within
Timor Leste in the upskilling project design, module
development and delivery is crucial to ensure
sustainability of the project.
Someone left behind a pair of
We will collaborate with SSM Dili to deliver the
practical component of the upskilling at schools thin black framed reading glasses
at the Perth dinner. Please
across Dili Municipality as part of the INS course
completion accreditation. We will have access to their contact Jenny Ball on 0419 044 549 or
jenny@adawa.com.au if they are yours.
oral health workforce which services a population of
37,632 middle school children.

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