168378 A course in emergency dental care training for refugee health providers: An answer to dental care access in a long-term refugee camp, Tanzania 2007

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 1:30 PM

Toni M. Roucka, DDS, MA , School of Dentistry, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI
Christine Lathuras, DDS , Biological and Nutritional Dentistry, Michael Rehme, DDS and Christine Lathuras, DDS, St. Louis, MO
Freder Jaramillo, DDS, MPH, MHA , Division of Oral Health, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA
Jack M. Levine, DDS, FAGD , Jack M. Levine, DDS, New Haven, CT
Oral health services in long-term refugee camps have very limited resources and lack the skilled work force necessary to address the needs and demands of the refugee population. Although dental diseases and oral pain are highly prevalent among refugees, their oral health care needs continue to go unaddressed. Oral health remains alienated from the general health care provided by NGO's, Government institutions or the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). In November of 2007, a dental team of four dentists, supported by the American Dental Association (ADA), Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO) and the Tanzania Red Cross (TRC), provided training to the refugee health providers in Mtabila refugee camp in Tanzania. The dental needs of refugees in this camp had been assessed previously and suggested a very high need for preventive and curative interventions. None of the dental care providers within Mtabila camp had any formal dental training prior to the team's arrival.

After initial observation of the type and quality of care being provided, a comprehensive course in Emergency Dental Care was developed and taught over a two week period to the dental care providers. The authors observed that even a short course such as this had a significant impact on the access to and quality of dental care available within the camp. The authors believe this course can be duplicated and utilized in other refugee camps to have a similar impact and become an integral part of the overall healthcare system within such camps.

Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize the need for emergency dental care training within refugee camp environments 2. Integrate dental care as part of the overall healthcare system within refugee camp environments 3. Identify the unique challenges associated with treating refugee patients 4. Prioritize the challenges associated with training refugee healthcare providers in emergency dental care 5.Apply teaching and evaluation methods necessary to maximize and assess student learning 6. Describe the ways in which such programs can be implemented within other camps around the world

Keywords: Refugees, Oral Health Needs

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I helped write the document
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.