The University of Sydney Page 1

Indigenous Cultural Competence in Dentistry and Oral Health Higher

Education

Presented by: Cathryn Forsyth: Master of Applied Science Research Student with Faculty of Health Sciences

Dental Faculty Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Lead & Associate Director Education & Promotion of Bachelor Oral Health

Program

Supervisors: Dr. Michelle Irving, Prof. Marc Tennant, Prof. Stephanie Short & Dr. John Gilroy

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Background

• Indigenous populations in Australia carry the greatest burden of disease in both general & oral health (Mitrou et al 2014, Vos et al 2009, Kruger at al 2005 & Anjrini et al 2014)

• Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people ( Bradley Review 2008, Behrendt Review 2012)

• Wingara Mura Bunga Barrabugu Indigenous Strategy (The University of Sydney 2012)

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Systematic Review

• Aims to identify and analyse the available literature on Indigenous cultural competence in dentistry and oral health higher education

• Exploratory and Descriptive Interpretive Social Research (Phillips & Burbules 2000 and Lincoln & Guba 2000)

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PRISMA Flow Diagram – Indigenous Cultural Competence in Dentistry & Oral Health Higher

Education

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Studies Included in Quality Synthesis

United States Australia New Zealand Australia/Canada0

5

10

15

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25Country of Publication N=25

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Studies Included in Quality Synthesis

0

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5

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8

9

10Content of Studies N=25

The University of Sydney Page 7

Studies Included in Quality Synthesis

0

1

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10Content of Studies N=25

The University of Sydney Page 8

Review of Cultural Competency in Dental Schools N=7

• Disparities in oral health of vulnerable populations (Formicola et al & Mouradian et al 2003)

• Lack of standardised cultural competence curriculum delivery (Rowland et al 2006)

• Assessing students knowledge and performance of treating patients of diverse backgrounds (Gregorczyk et al 2008)

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Review of Cultural Competency in Dental Schools N=7• Curriculum designed to reflect Indigenous

populations and impacts upon health (Coates et al 2009)

• Transcultural issues in oral care which confront dental students when treating culturally diverse patients (Marino et al 2012)

• Paradigm shift in dental education giving adequate attention to preventive disease management and cultural competence (Ramos-Gomez 2014)

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Curriculum Design• Bazen J, Paul D, & Tennant M (2007) formed a

collaborative workgroup to design an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural competence curriculum framework for dental students

• Only one Indigenous Cultural Competence Curriculum Framework for Dental & Oral Health Higher Education reported in the literature …… Western Australia!

• Development of this Framework required a multi level approach involving graduates attributes, year level outcomes and evaluation processes

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Thank YouSupervisors

• Dr John Gilroy: Principal Supervisor, Lecturer, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney

• Professor Stephanie D. Short: Head of Discipline of Behavioural & Social Sciences in Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney

• Dr Michelle Irving: Research Fellow, Poche Centre for Indigenous Health, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Sydney

• Winthrop Professor Marc Tennant: Director, International Research Collaborative, Oral Health and Equity, The University of Western Australia 

Cultural Competence Curriculum Review Reference Group

• Boe Rambaldini: Aboriginal Oral Health Coordinator, NSW Centre Oral Health Strategy

• Linda Lewis: Aboriginal Otitis Media Coordinator, Western Sydney Local Health District

• Jacinda Stamenkovic: Aboriginal Graduate of the Bachelor Oral Health and current Clinical Educator in the Bachelor Oral Health program

• Prof Chris Peck: Dean of Dental Faculty, Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Strategy and Services Committee, The University of Sydney

• Dr Nigel Rock: Doctor of Dental Medicine Clinical Educator, The University of Sydney

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References• Anjrini, A., Kruger, E., & Tennant, M. (2014) A 10 year retrospective analysis of hospitalisation for oral cellulitis in Australia: the

poor suffer at 30 times the rate of the wealthy. Faculty Dental Journal. January 2014.Volume 5.Issue 1.

• Australian Government (2012) Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Final Report. July 2012.

• Behrendt, L. Larkin, S. Griew, R. & Kelly, P. (2012) – Review of Higher Education Access and Outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People Final Report.

• Bazen, J., Paul, D., Tennant, M. (2007) An Aboriginal and Torres Strait oral health curriculum framework: development experiences in Western Australia. Australian Dental Journal 2007;52:(2);86-92

• Coates, D.E., Kardos, T.B., Moffat, S.M., & Kardos R.L. (2009). Dental Therapists and Dental Hygienists Educated for the New Zealand Environment. Journal of Dental Education, 73(8), 1001-1008.

• Kruger, E., Dyson, K., & Tennant, M. (2005) Pre-school child oral heath in rural Western Australia. Australian Dental Journal 2005;50(4):258-262

• Formicola, A. J., Stavisky, J., & Lewy, R. (2003). Cultural Competency: Dentistry and Medicine Learning from One Another. Journal of Dental Education, 67(8), 869-875.

• Gregorczyk, S. M., & Bailit, H. L. (2008) Assessing the cultural competency of dental students and residents. Journal of Dental Education, 72(10), 1122-1127.

• Lincoln Y S & Guba E G (2000) Paradigmatic controversies, contradictions, and emerging confluences. In N K Denzin & Y S Lincoln (Eds.) Handbook of qualitative Research (2nd Ed. pp 163 -188) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage

• Mitrou, F., Cook, M., Lawrence, D. (2014) Gaps in Indigenous disadvantage not closing; a census cohort study of social determinants of health in Australia, Canada & New Zealand from 1981-2006. BMC Public Health 2014;14 (201)

• Moher, D., Liberati, A., Tetzlaff, J., Altman, D. (2009) Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses: The PRISMA Statement. Annuals of Internal Medicine 2009; 151 (4)

• Marino, R., Morgan, M., & Hopcraft, M. (2012) Transcultural dental training: addressing the oral health care needs of people from culturally diverse backgrounds. Community Dentistry and Oral Epidemiology; 40 (Suppl.2): 134-140

• Phillips D C & Burbules N C, (2000) Postpositivism and educational research. Lanham MD: Rowman & Littlefield.

• Ramos-Gomez F. J. (2014) Changing the Education Paradigm in Paediatric Dentistry. Journal of Californian Dental Association Vol 42. No.10.

• Rowland, M. L., Bean, C. Y., & Casamassimo, P. S. (2006) A snapshot of cultural competency education in US dental schools. Journal of Dental Education, 70(9), 982-990.

• Vos, T., Barker, B., Begg S., et al (2009) Burden of disease and injury in Indigenous people: the indigenous health gap. International Journal of Epidemiology 2009;38:470-77

• Wingara Mura Bunga Barrabugu: The University of Sydney Indigenous Integrated Strategy (2012)

• Waratah http://www.homelife.com.au/gardening/galleries/10+september+wedding+flowers+,25248?pos=2