{"id":161489,"date":"2022-07-05T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2022-07-05T18:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=161489"},"modified":"2022-07-08T22:34:46","modified_gmt":"2022-07-09T08:34:46","slug":"oral-health-toolkit-for-keiki","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2022\/07\/05\/oral-health-toolkit-for-keiki\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr>-developed oral health toolkit aids keiki in Hawai\u02bbi and beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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A health provider meeting with a parent and child during a well-child visit discuss oral health.
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Oral health is integral to overall health, and public impact research has shown far too many people in Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> are not able to access necessary oral health care. A report from the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> State Department of Health released in 2022 found that Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>\u2019s low-income preschool students have the highest prevalence of dental decay in the nation.The consequences of poor oral health affect the entire body, and many oral health conditions are preventable and can reduce expensive emergency room visits. <\/p>\n

A University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa associate professor from the Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing<\/a> (NAWSON<\/abbr>) has developed an oral health toolkit to teach nurses, doctors and healthcare students how to effectively integrate oral health into their practice. This project is a collaboration between the Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> State Department of Health (HIDOH<\/abbr>) Family Health Services Division and NAWSON<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

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Deborah Mattheus<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The integration of oral health into pediatric primary care practice is one substantial and economical way to reduce the bad oral health outcomes and improve overall health and quality of life for our island residents,” said Deborah Mattheus<\/strong>, project lead and NAWSON<\/abbr>\u2019s Professor in School Health<\/a>. “As a practicing APRN<\/abbr> (nurse practitioner), I see kids in the clinic all the time who have poor oral hygiene. We have a great opportunity to proactively take care of their teeth as part of their well-child visit. This will set up these kids for good dental hygiene as they get older.” <\/p>\n