Teeth Tales–Promoting Oral Health for Refugee and Migrant Children

Objective: To test the feasibility, acceptability and utility of the baseline evaluation measures and intervention processes of Teeth Tales, a culturally competent, systems-embedded approach to child oral health promotion. Methods: Teeth Tales is a community based intervention study in Victoria, Australia. The pilot study included: a cultural competence organisational review (CORe); recruitment and training of culturally specific peer educators; recruitment of local families with children aged 1-4years; lap-to-lap child oral health screening (ICDAS II); parent questionnaires; and engagement of Oromo, Sudanese and Vietnamese participating families in peer-led community oral health education sessions. Results: The pilot demonstrated the trial procedures were predominantly feasible but highlighted challenges in recruitment and aligning geographically based health services with extensive cultural networks. CORe was feasible but needed refinement of processes. It showed that while there was some consistency across the organisation, there were also differences in organisational policy and practice. Clinical examinations showed that 51% of child participants showed some signs of caries development and 30% had advanced caries and required referral for dental treatment. 20% of parents reported their child's oral health status as either poor or fair. There was low parent knowledge of the benefits of fluoride. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the critical role of a collaborative partnership with key cultural representative groups to engage and include participants from refugee and migrant backgrounds. The pilot findings have informed modifications to the intervention framework and measures in readiness for a larger trial. Addressing public health issues such as child oral health requires testing of multi-agency, systems-embedded approaches prior to embarkation on a trial.