Dental Health Week (DHW) is held from the 4th to the 10th of August and is the Australian Dental Association’s major annual oral health campaign.
For people with disability, there can be many factors as to why they experience barriers to good oral healthcare.
According to the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care and the NDIS Commission, “People with disability are at risk of poor oral (or dental) health, such as gum disease, tooth decay, loss of teeth and subsequent illnesses. This can have a detrimental effect on the person and their health, wellbeing and quality of life.”
Before becoming a Manager of Shared Living at Aruma (one of the nation’s largest NDIS Disability Service Providers) Magnolia Venville Castro, was working as a dentist in Colombia.
She currently manages two homes in Victoria and despite being able to use her expertise to advocate for her participants, both houses have had experiences at both ends of the spectrum, when it comes to dental healthcare.
“At both houses, I have participants with very complex psychosocial and with physical disabilities that require wheelchairs. At my Sunbury house, the three participants go every 6 months to a fantastic private dentist. They can be treated while remaining in their wheelchairs, there is no waiting lists. For my other house in Oak Park however, it’s completely different.”
The Oak Park home has five participants. One participant, Luke Williamson was on a waiting list for The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne for two years. Magnolia started the process in 2019, but it was delayed with constant back and forth of multiple referrals being sent in and lost.
“He did eventually get to his appointment and can now have regular appointments. Oral work for Luke needs to be done in multiple stints. Just getting him to open his mouth can take a long time, so there is only so much they can do in each session.”
Despite the long road to get there, Magnolia thought that with the positive outcome for Luke, it would be great to get Ortenzia Biancofiore, into treatments at The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne however, her situation has been even more difficult.
“Ortenzia has MS and is in a wheelchair completely in the plank position. The Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne cannot accommodate her wheelchair. The family were told the only option is an at home service, that is not covered by Medicare and would cost $220.”
Magnolia has shared with her team of Support Workers just how important at home dental care is, and the team do everything they can for their participants oral health.
“We have visual guides on how to brush teeth properly, all our participants have specific oral health management plans that work with their meal plans, and I have given my staff in depth education. We have a duty of care to our participants, and to ignore their oral health would be neglect.”
Having oral health management plans for participants, feeds into Aruma’s Preventive Health Strategy. Launched earlier this year, the strategy aims to improve the health and wellbeing of people with disability.
“The Preventive Health Strategy is a key initiative under Aruma’s Strategic Plan. Our organisation is dedicated to advocating for the rights of our participants. This includes their right to optimal health and wellbeing, equitable healthcare access, and safe and effective health supports. Our Preventive Health Strategy provides a multifaceted roadmap for us to address these issues,” said Lisa Hutchinson, Aruma’s Policy, Research & Clinical Governance Manager.
The three-year plan has been developed in consultation with a broad range of key stakeholders, including people with intellectual disability. It proactively responds to recommendations by the Disability Royal Commission to address preventive healthcare access and improve the health and wellbeing of people with disability.
