Page 10 - ICD Newsletter May 2022 Final rev
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BACKGROUND
LOCAL COMMITTEES, SECTION VIII The Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean are made
Local committees facilitate nominations of new Fellows up of 16 separate islands which are geographically
and organise local ICD functions.
diverse. The Cooks Group has a high paediatric DMFT
2021 - 2023 - 3.9, age 15yrs, and dmft, 6.6, age 6 years (NOHS,
NSW & Tom Tseng (Chair), Deb Cockrell, 2013). The target audience for the Aitutaki Project is
ACT Peter Duckmanton, Scott Davis, the high needs paediatric community on the remote
Stephen Dahlstrom Aitutaki Island.
QLD & Ian Meyers OAM (Chair), Julee Birch,
NT Michael Foley The cost to travel from Aitutaki Island to the main
island of Rarotonga to access regular oral health
SA & TAS Rick Sawers AM (Chair), Jono Christo, treatments and relieve pain is very high and not
Daniel DeAngelis, Chris Pazios usually undertaken by residents. Ministry of Health
VIC Rob Adams (Chair), Eryn Agnew, (MoH) oral health workers are sent from the main
Anu Polster, John Rattray, Warren island of Rarotonga to provide relief of pain treatments
Shnider, Felicia Valianatos, Keith (extractions). Aitutaki Island had one trained MoH
Watkins dental assistant (DA) who is a permanent resident,
WA Jenny Ball (Chair), Nick Albatis, who assists a community oral health worker when
Andrew Heap, Kang Kim, they travel to Aitutaki. This DA left the island earlier
John Owen AM this year to train in New Zealand as an oral health
therapist. Due to budget and staffing shortages,
NZ Graeme Ting (Chair), David Crum no clinical oral health preventive measures or
ONZM, Clive Ross CNZM, toothbrushing initiatives are currently organised in
John Boyens the Aitutaki schools.
The Aitutaki Project has three aims based on needs
AITUTAKI ORAL HEALTH PROJECT, identified while implementing an oral health initiative
on the main island of Rarotonga in August 2019:
COOK ISLANDS
1. to provide clinical assessments in April 2022
in preparation for a return visit in June 2022
to apply fissure protection treatments to
permanent molar teeth and establish a school
toothbrushing program
2. to compile baseline data for potential research
by the MoH Community Oral Health Service
of the Cook Islands to assess success of fissure
sealant placement. There is very little research
performed in the Pacific Islands therefore, this
data (belonging to the MoH, Cook Islands) will
allow for projects to commence. Handheld
Kia Orana and an enormous thank you to the x-ray units have been donated to the MoH
Australasia Section of ICD for the generous grant, with previous ICD funding which will allow for
enabling a small team to go to the outer island (Pa monitoring of DMFT of sealed teeth.
Enua) of Aitutaki in the Cooks Group. The mid-April
2022 visit came about through wishing to work 3. to provide a limited number of partial dentures.
alongside our Pacific oral health peers and health This component of the project will be the first
workers, tātou tātou. Huge gratitude to Dr Danny for remote islands of the Pacific.
Areai for this opportunity to share my clinical research Ongoing monitoring will be undertaken as directed
and oral health practitioner skills. by the Cook Islands MoH.
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