Training for those who support homeless people with oral health
Researchers at the University of Dundee, in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland, are leading training for oral health professionals who support people who are homeless or in prison.
People in these circumstances face many challenges in accessing oral healthcare, says lead research programmer, Dr Andrea Rodriguez, of the University’s School of Dentistry.
Dr Rodriguez, whose background is in social psychology, works with groups experiencing homelessness in Scotland and in Brazil. She uses participatory methodologies and knowledge-exchange learning to create training programmes for health and social care practitioners in both countries.
The training was recently delivered to staff at NHS Scotland programmes Smile4Life, which supports homeless people with oral health promotion, and Mouth Matters, which supports people in prison.
It brought together coordinators and trainers to explore new areas of development, good practices, strategies and challenges for implementation of both Oral Health Improvement programmes.
Dr Rodriguez said: “Patients within these groups of people have multiple and complex needs so a lot of strategies need to be deployed to support them, and flexibility to adjust the service is essential.
“Many face dental anxiety or other anxiety issues as well as stigma from society around their oral health, which forces a cycle of health inequalities.”
Having worked with homeless people in both Scotland and Brazil, Dr Rodriguez says that despite each country having different policies, people in this situation face similar challenges.
She said: “Generally there is a lack of social support. Family relationships have broken down, they’ve lost contact with most people and become socially isolated.
“That can lead to low self-esteem, which makes it difficult to interact and oral health is very important for social interaction.
“Oral health also affects confidence, employability, appearance, the way you present yourself to the world, and the way people will perceive you.
“If you never smile because you don’t want to show your teeth, people assume you don’t want to interact, you are a serious person, distant or unpolite.
“There are so many prejudices, but it could be that these people very much do want to socialise but they’re ashamed of their oral health.”
During the training session, Dr Rodriguez presented participatory methods based on her research to better involve and support people in these challenging circumstances, including adaptions to services and tactics to enhanced support.
“Practitioners value regular training,” she said, “because working with these groups is a very complex task. What works with one individual doesn’t necessarily work with another.”
A practical guide was launched at this training.
David Felix, Postgraduate Dental Dean and director of dentistry, NHS Education for Scotland (NES), said: “NHS Education for Scotland works collaboratively with key partners to reduce inequalities and improve oral health for priority groups (such as those experiencing homelessness or the justice system) through sustainable educational solutions.
“We have a commitment to support behaviour changes through developing and upskilling the health, social care and third sector workforce to support their communities in making healthier choices.
“We were delighted to partner with the University of Dundee to provide innovative training and knowledge exchange with the NHS and social care workforce from across Scotland.”