Oral health in Indigenous children and young people in rural and remote communities
Oral health is a microcosm of the wider Indigenous disadvantage evident in measures of employment, income, education and health. Indigenous children consistently have more caries (in both frequency and severity) and untreated oral health problems (Ha et al., 2014). In some studies, the incidence of caries is more than double in the Indigenous child sample than for non-Indigenous children (Roberts-Thomson et al., 2010). Nearly a quarter of Indigenous children live in remote or very remote areas, compared to just 3% of non-Indigenous children (Roberts-Thomson et al., 2010) and Indigenous children in rural areas have worse oral health than those in metropolitan …show more content…
These include:
Diet: Consumption of soft drink, fruit juice and high levels of sugar are associated with untreated dental decay (Jamieson et al., 2010a). This is particularly an issue for remote communities with insecure food and water supply. If a community does not have access to safe drinking water, soft drink consumption may increase (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Fresh fruit and vegetables are often expensive, limited and of poor quality in remote community stores, which can lead to malnutrition, scurvy, tooth loss and infection (Martin-Iverson et al., 1999, Jamieson et al., 2006). Marketing strategies from global food companies mean that sugar sweetened soft drinks are readily available in the most remote of communities (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Additionally, children in these communities are often particularly at risk – they are usually dependent on the choices of others for their diet (Christian and Blinkhorn, 2012), and often prefer soft drinks, convenience foods and sweets to less cariogenic alternatives (Johnson et al., …show more content…
However, ownership and use of a toothbrush is complicated by common characteristics of Indigenous rural and remote communities, including movement of children between households in the community, and the price and availability of toothbrushes in remote areas; (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Jamieson et al also suggest that while good oral hygiene practices are encouraged in school, there is little incentive to continue in early adulthood (Jamieson et al.,
Oral health is a microcosm of the wider Indigenous disadvantage evident in measures of employment, income, education and health. Indigenous children consistently have more caries (in both frequency and severity) and untreated oral health problems (Ha et al., 2014). In some studies, the incidence of caries is more than double in the Indigenous child sample than for non-Indigenous children (Roberts-Thomson et al., 2010). Nearly a quarter of Indigenous children live in remote or very remote areas, compared to just 3% of non-Indigenous children (Roberts-Thomson et al., 2010) and Indigenous children in rural areas have worse oral health than those in metropolitan …show more content…
These include:
Diet: Consumption of soft drink, fruit juice and high levels of sugar are associated with untreated dental decay (Jamieson et al., 2010a). This is particularly an issue for remote communities with insecure food and water supply. If a community does not have access to safe drinking water, soft drink consumption may increase (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Fresh fruit and vegetables are often expensive, limited and of poor quality in remote community stores, which can lead to malnutrition, scurvy, tooth loss and infection (Martin-Iverson et al., 1999, Jamieson et al., 2006). Marketing strategies from global food companies mean that sugar sweetened soft drinks are readily available in the most remote of communities (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Additionally, children in these communities are often particularly at risk – they are usually dependent on the choices of others for their diet (Christian and Blinkhorn, 2012), and often prefer soft drinks, convenience foods and sweets to less cariogenic alternatives (Johnson et al., …show more content…
However, ownership and use of a toothbrush is complicated by common characteristics of Indigenous rural and remote communities, including movement of children between households in the community, and the price and availability of toothbrushes in remote areas; (Jamieson et al., 2010b). Jamieson et al also suggest that while good oral hygiene practices are encouraged in school, there is little incentive to continue in early adulthood (Jamieson et al.,