Ohnmar Tut, BDS, MPhil: No financial relationships to disclose
Description: American Samoa (AS) is a territory of the U.S. in the South Pacific. Like many of the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands, it faces unique challenges in promoting oral health for its population. Overcoming these requires systematic, evidence-based approaches along with local and outside support and partnerships. Over the past several years, ASTDD has engaged AS oral health programs (OHP) in an oral health infrastructure needs/capacity assessment and other technical assistance regarding surveillance (BSS) and fluoride varnish (FV) application and helped to identify some foundational recommendations upon which the AS OHP could promote and enhance oral health for its population. The 2020 COVID pandemic confronted the programs with significant challenges that put many of their plans on hold, but with a renewed commitment the AS OHP have and will enhance efforts to improve access to oral health care. Data from a recent BSS of school children in AS showed that 58% of experienced dental caries versus 42% in the US; 48% had untreated caries versus 23% in the US; and 48% had dental sealants versus 30% in the US. Data clearly demonstrated the need to enhance their efforts, e.g., to conduct oral health risk assessments, expand the applications of FV and adopt silver diamine fluoride (SDF) applications to prevent/arrest caries. This presentation will describe how the AS OHP through training its care providers will improve access to oral health care by using SDF in its dental clinics, school-based, and community-based settings.
Source of
Funding: : Health Resources and Services Administration’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau and the Bureau of Primary Care
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cooperative Agreement 6 NU58DP006573-04-02
