April 19, 2016
Dr. Christie Foreman examines the teeth of nine-year-old Abigail Espiritu, who has received dental care through a partnership spearheaded by Alberta Health Services. Inset, Abigail and her mom, Rowena Espiritu.
When Rowena Espiritu came to Canada in 2009 from the Philippines, she was concerned about her then-preschool daughter’s teeth.
“Abigail had cavities and decay in some of her teeth,” says Espiritu. “I was worried about the future of her teeth if she didn’t get care.”
But after moving to Banff in 2010, Abigail received dental services through a partnership involving Alberta Health Services (AHS) oral health programs, public health nurses in the Bow Valley, a Banff dentist, and Bow Valley Settlement Services, a program that works to assimilate new immigrants to the Bow Valley.
Espiritu says the services her daughter received were invaluable.
“Being new to the area, we had no idea where to go for help for Abigail,” says Espiritu. “Having this free service allowed us to participate. My daughter was referred to have her teeth fixed, and as well, we received information and help on how to keep her teeth healthy.
“I feel like she received the gift of health. I can’t say enough about the program. The service they provide is priceless.”
Spearheading the oral health program was Wendy Ulrich, an AHS dental hygienist.
Ulrich has cared for the teeth of the very young and the young at heart for 32 years. However, in 2012, she noticed a surprising increase in tooth decay rates in the school population, prompting a deeper look into the potential causes.
“While working at Banff Elementary School, I noticed high rates of decay in my younger patients, many of them immigrants, which was causing pain and missed days of school,” Ulrich says, noting the oral health situation in some of her immigrant patients was so severe it was affecting their overall health.
“One kindergarten child I saw wasn’t eating properly because her mouth was filled with infected teeth. She wasn’t meeting growth targets because her oral health was affecting her whole body.”
According to information out of the Bow Valley Immigration Partnership, one in five residents in the Bow Valley are immigrants. Approximately
67 per cent are Filipino, with the remainder coming from more than 50 countries including Mexico and India.
With this in mind, Ulrich worked with AHS public health nurses and partnered with Banff dentist Dr. Christie Foreman dentist and Bow Valley Settlement Services.
“The most common oral health problems we saw were dental caries – or cavities – and periodontal disease,” says Foreman.
“Often, the dental care many immigrant families have received before coming to Canada has been very basic, and doesn’t emphasize prevention. That’s why it is so important to teach good oral health habits to the children from a young age.”
In 2013, the Philippine Dental Association released a study that showed approximately
97 per cent of children aged six and younger in the Philippines have some form of tooth decay. And according to Health Canada, approximately 57 per cent of Canadian children aged 6 to 11 years old have tooth decay.
To this end, Ulrich worked to provide dental screenings and fluoride varnish to this population through the AHS Preschool Fluoride Varnish Program targeting children aged 12 months to 3 years, through the AHS Oral Health School Program that targets children in kindergarten to Grade 2, and through an after-school program through Bow Valley Settlement Services targeting immigrant children from Grades 1-6.
Foreman also provided free dental screenings from her office in Banff.
“We provided information about keeping teeth healthy, as well as free dental screenings which involves a visual examination of each child’s mouth for problems. We then gave each child an application of fluoride varnish to help protect against future decay,” says Ulrich.
“Integrating existing services and working together to provide consistent oral health messages has supported this population and helped them understand the importance of keeping their teeth and gums healthy – and that’s something to smile about.”
Last year in the Calgary Zone, the Preschool Fluoride Varnish Program screened and applied fluoride varnish to 1,335 children, and the Oral Health School Program screened 6,252 students and applied 11,322 fluoride varnish applications (approximately two applications per child).
For more on the Preschool Fluoride Varnish Program, visit albertahealthservices.ca/services/page13171.aspx. For the Oral Health School Program, visit albertahealthservices.ca/services/page13173.aspx.
