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a big “ ” each night … but only after the child has Gudfala Smile Nurse Training
brushed their teeth of course. Designed to complement the Gudfala Tut Skul
brushing program, the “Gudfala Smile Nurse Training
Whilst the Gudfala Tut Skul Program is now operating Course” might be just a pilot program at this stage,
on four of Vanuatu’s sixty-three inhabited islands, but the hope is that by up-skilling existing registered
the big focus is naturally on the urban centres. This nurses, through their participation in this week-long
is because the 2017 National Oral Health Survey training course, they can make a positive impact on
revealed that caries experience was more than twice the oral health of children under the age of 4. The
as high in urban centres compared to rural areas, Vanuatu National Oral Health Survey 2017 revealed
with a mean DMFT of 10.92. Again, with the help of caries prevalence in 5 to 7-year-old children was 70%,
ICD funding and dedicated local oral health workers, implying that many children already have dental
such as dentist Dr Julianne Tevi at the Northern caries before they enter kindergarten at the age of
Provincial Hospital’s Oral Health Department, 100% 4 years. Special thanks to the Northern Territory
of Luganville’s kindergartens and primary schools are Health Department for allowing MSM to modify their
now participating in Gudfala Tut – that’s around 2,000 “Healthy Smiles” training course for the Vanuatu
children at 30 sites. Here’s a short video from one of context.
the participating kindies - “Coolidge Preschool”, which
conveys something of the program’s effectiveness Furthermore, the introduction of the Gudfala Smile
featuring the principal Mrs Rosina. (CLICK HERE). course within the Bachelor of Nursing undergraduate
program, has the potential to profoundly improve
World Health Organization’s Involvement oral health of Ni-Vanuatu. Largely through:

• emphasis on early identification of oral
disease in young children,
• establishment of appropriate referral
pathways,
• caries risk assessment,
• anticipatory guidance for parents and carers,
• application of fluoride varnish as a preventive
strategy to the teeth of children from the age
of 18 months up to 4 years, and
• documentation of the information within a
recognised early childhood health care plan.

Making Our Own Toothpaste
A key element of the Gudfala Tut Skul Program is that
Medical Sailing Ministries Inc. (MSM) manufactures
their own coconut oil-based toothpaste in Vanuatu.
It is manufactured under licence using a formulation
developed by Dentalife Australia, in consultation with
Another exciting development, following the World MSM, who stipulated that it be based on coconut oil
Health Organisation’s (WHO) landmark Oral Health and appealing to children with respect to colour and
Resolution last year, has been the appointment of an taste.
oral health project coordinator; funded by the WHO,
and based in Port Vila. The successful candidate, Dr Having, trialled three different colours and flavours
Evatt Ala, began in March this year, with her key duties on Ni-Vanuatu children attending Vila Central School
being to manage the Gudfala Tut Skul program, and in 2018, the current formulation of pink, bubble
the implementation of an oral health training course gum-flavoured Gudfala Tut Paste has become well-
called Gudfala Smile. As evidence of the WHO’s known and loved by the children in the Gudfala Tut
support, they have recently produced a video of the Skul Program. Demand is also growing more broadly,
Gudfala Tut program. CLICK HERE to view. with the prospect of a ‘retail’ version of Gudfala Tut

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