KEY POINTS:
Name: Deepa Krishnan.
Age: 32.
Role: NZDA - Colgate Oral Health Educator.
Working hours: 40-hour week.
Employer: New Zealand Dental Association.
Starting salary range: $40,000 plus.
Qualifications needed: Postgraduate papers relating to health promotion and public health are essential along with an undergraduate degree in health - preferably oral health.
Describe what you do?
I am employed by the New Zealand Dental Association as an oral health educator.
Colgate assists with some funding for the role. My main job is to promote oral health and educate public about the ways to prevent disease and achieve good dental health. Many people don't realise the connection between oral and general health. I work with colleagues at the Ministry of Health, District Health Boards and Primary Health Organisations to deliver projects. I am working with five health boards to deliver school or pre-school based programmes on brushing teeth.
It is important to the association to reduce oral health inequalities amongst New Zealand children; and the brushing programmes we assist with are being implemented in low-decile schools.
I also attend media interviews and write press releases and articles for newspapers and magazines. I provide training and educational sessions for health workers. I co-ordinate activities and support other educators around the country. Liaising with policy makers and advocating for water fluoridation is another of my roles.
I have developed brochures for parents, a training guide for non-oral health professionals and an educational video to promote oral health messages; plus I am involved in developing an oral health information website.
Your history?
After qualifying in India in 1998 as a dentist, I spent nearly six years in teaching and private practice. I came to New Zealand to do my postgraduate qualification in public health. My study at the University of Auckland prepared me to handle my job as an adolescent oral health promoter for Canterbury, South Canterbury and West Coast DHBs.
Later I worked as a health promoter for Counties Manukau DHB. That's when I heard about the job with the Dental Association. I miss practicing as a dentist, but the satisfaction I get from this role is awesome. Preventing diseases is better than treating.
Why is oral health an integral part of general health?
We need good, effective teeth to eat a variety of nutritious foods that are essential to maintain good health. Pain in the mouth can affect quality of life. A person with missing teeth or an infection in their mouth can have difficulty speaking, eating and socialising.
Evidence shows that oral diseases can aggravate certain health problems. Pregnant women with periodontitis may be at increased risk of delivering pre-term or low-birth weight babies. Research also shows there is a link between oral health and health problems such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
How does children's oral health differ to adults'?
The main difference is that children are dependent on adults for healthy teeth. Also, children who experience dental decay at an early age are at more risk of developing decay later in life. They need their teeth to eat and speak properly. Pain in their mouth can interfere with developmental milestones. The decay rates among New Zealand children fell steadily until the mid-90s but have come to a halt in the last decade. The biggest concerns are the severity of the disease in particular ethnic groups and the number of children requiring dental treatment under general anaesthesia.
What is on your agenda?
I am working with Colgate on the Oral Health Month events that aim to raise awareness of oral hygiene. We are running in-store supermarket events in Auckland and Dunedin where dental professionals and students will offer advice on everything from the best flossing technique to the ideal products for children.
In September there is the World Oral Health Day event and the launch of the association's oral health information website. Then I am looking at producing educational videos and developing teaching resources for schools interested in promoting oral health. Promoting the oral health of the elderly is also a focus. Then I have the Early Childhood Oral Health Promotion forum to organise for 2009.
Why is your job important?
Because most dental diseases are preventable.
Most rewarding part of the job?
Job satisfaction. There is nothing like finishing your day with a sense that you have tried to make a difference in someone's life. I also love the variety in my job and enjoy meeting so many different people.
Advice to someone wanting to do the same thing?
Passion for oral health is important. You need to understand that oral health is not as emotive as other health issues and that sometimes it can take a backseat in lives. A can-do attitude is a must. You need to be organised and good at communication.
* August is Oral Health Month. See Monday's Training Place for information on Otago University's Bachelor of Dental Technology.
