Reaching Vulnerable Populations through Portable and Mobile Dentistry—Current and Future Opportunities

Gupta, Shailee; Hakim, Muna; Patel, Dishant; Stow, Lauren; Shin, Katherine; Timothé, Peggy; Nalliah, Romesh

doi:10.3390/dj7030075

Cited by 11 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In terms of logistics, a common challenge for our clinicians was scheduling emergency appointments and urgent follow-ups especially when the dentists had their pre-planned schedule in areas far from the emergency request. This challenge could also be attributed to the high demand for domiciliary dentistry and low number of mobile dentists offering this service [ 15 ]. One dentist envisioned the solution of “proximity dentistry”, where traditional clinics would offer domiciliary services within a small radius.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domiciliary dentistry clinics: a multiple case study in the province of Quebec, Canada

Makansi

Rousseau

Bedos

2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background The demand for more flexible and person-centered models of oral healthcare delivery is increasing and while mobile and domiciliary dental services have the potential to increase access to oral healthcare among dependent elderly and people with disabilities; the uptake of this service model by dentists remains low. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand how existing domiciliary dental services operate within a particular context. Methods We used a qualitative descriptive multiple case study design. We studied three independent domiciliary dentistry clinics in the province of Quebec, Canada. We completed observations of 27 domiciliary visits, four of which were in private homes and the remaining 23 in LTCFs. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with dental professionals, patients, and caregivers. We performed a qualitative content analysis using a deductive/inductive coding framework. Results We presented a detailed description of the physical and service features of the studied cases. Physical features included the set-up of the mobile clinics, the portable equipment used, and the domiciliary locations of visits. For service features, we described the roles, attitudes, and interactions among those involved on both the providers’ and recipients’ sides, as well as, the logistical and financial aspect of the domiciliary dental services. Conclusions Despite variations in setup and years of practice, the three mobile clinics had similar physical and service features. They also faced common logistic challenges but were able to provide services and respond to the high demand for domiciliary dental services. Additional research in different contexts would further contribute to building evidence-based models to help increase the uptake of this type of practice by current and future dental professionals.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domiciliary dentistry clinics: a multiple case study in the province of Quebec, Canada

Makansi

Rousseau

Bedos

2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…Building awareness in the community can help change an individual's perception or attitude towards the dentist and seeking treatment. Some individuals lack the incentive to make the regularly scheduled visits to the dentist 17,24 . By failing to make oral health a priority, they wait until the pain is excruciating and have to make a trip to the emergency room 13,25 ,27,28 .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review on Portable Dental Services in Different Regions of America as an Example for Pakistan to Increase Overall Oral Healthcare

Khan¹,

Aziz

Hussain

et al. 2020

ashkmdc

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Objective: To assess the reach and effectiveness of mobile dental vans as a delivery method for providing oral healthcare access to people of low socioeconomic status.Methods: A literature review was conducted to identify mobile delivery methods of oral healthcare, the basic aim of which was to address the increasing oral health disparity concern. Forty one articles met the inclusion criteria. Out of the 41 articles, only 7 analysed the coverage and reach of the mobile dental clinics. Data was compiled from the literature in order to assess, evaluate and compare the different mobile dental care delivery methods in dentistry.Results: There is an association between transportation barrier and lack of access to oral healthcare. Thus, mobile dentistry helps deliver dental care to vulnerable populations.Conclusion: Mobile dental clinics are effective methods in improving access to oral healthcare among people of low socioeconomic status, which can be taken as an example for Pakistan in order to increase overall oral healthcare access.

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“…Today the dental department has grown from used military trailers to a 12‐operatory main clinic that includes dental residency programs that help to bring specialist‐level care to the community. It also includes a school‐based sealant program using mobile clinics, also known as the “Dental Bus”, that brings preventive oral health services to area local schools and ensures that all Kalihi youth have a dental home 23 . The dental buses are a familiar and trusted symbol of KKV in the community, and frequently are requested by many children, schools, and events.…”

Section: Community‐level Efforts: Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive F...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It also includes a school‐based sealant program using mobile clinics, also known as the “Dental Bus”, that brings preventive oral health services to area local schools and ensures that all Kalihi youth have a dental home. 23 The dental buses are a familiar and trusted symbol of KKV in the community, and frequently are requested by many children, schools, and events.…”

Section: Community‐level Efforts: Kōkua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive F...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti‐racist approaches to increase access to general and oral health care during a pandemic in the Pacific Islander community

Oishi

Robley

Inada

et al. 2022

J Public Health Dent

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Limited data exists on Pacific Islander (PI) health, but a growing body of literature reports the existence of racial discrimination and inequities and mistrust of the healthcare system, leading to poor health outcomes. When COVID-19 restricted health services, such inequities and mistrust due to historical trauma were magnified. This report describes one federally qualified health center's dental department's response utilizing culture-based approaches, community relationships, and the social determinants of health (SDOH) to dispel the stigma of COVID and restrictions on in-person care in order to lower barriers to accessing care. When the dental department transitioned to emergency-only care, staff were redeployed to address significant inequities facing the PI community. Redeployment activities included building relationships with the most vulnerable patients, delivering healthy foods, supplies, oral hygiene kits to households, and canvasing neighborhood businesses with public health education. The mobile dental clinic, a trusted symbol in the community, also brought public health education to community testing events and food distributions. From March 2020 to July 2020, staff conducted over 800 outreach calls for health and food security, delivered over 2000 care packages and oral hygiene kits. Also, frequent community outreach by the mobile dental clinic led to a 10-fold increase in COVID testing. Investing in relationship building can maintain access to health care and build trust in the health care system for PI communities. This approach may be relevant to others serving other communities experiencing racism.

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Reaching Vulnerable Populations through Portable and Mobile Dentistry—Current and Future Opportunities

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

Domiciliary dentistry clinics: a multiple case study in the province of Quebec, Canada

Domiciliary dentistry clinics: a multiple case study in the province of Quebec, Canada

Review on Portable Dental Services in Different Regions of America as an Example for Pakistan to Increase Overall Oral Healthcare

Anti‐racist approaches to increase access to general and oral health care during a pandemic in the Pacific Islander community

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