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dc.contributor.authorKroon, Jeroen
dc.date.accessioned2017-05-03T15:09:51Z
dc.date.available2017-05-03T15:09:51Z
dc.date.issued2008
dc.date.modified2012-08-30T23:25:58Z
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10072/41790
dc.description.abstractAn appropriate workforce to address the oral health needs and demands of the South African population has been described in a number of reports and publications. The planned introduction of water fluoridation for South Africa will impact on the oral health workforce required to deliver the minimum package of oral care in the public oral health services. Objectives: To investigate the impact of water fluoridation on oral health workforce requirements to deliver the minimum package of oral care to 4- to 15-year-old children. Methods: The WHO/FDI (1989) and a "Service Targets Method" model were used to calculate the workforce requirements to deliver the minimum package of oral care. Results: Without water fluoridation, oral hygienists represent more than 50%, dental therapists between 30 to 40% and dentists less than 10% of the oral health workforce required to deliver the minimum package of oral care. At an anticipated caries reduction of 30% due to the introduction of water fluoridation, the number of dentists required decreases by 29%, dental therapists between 27.5 and 29.8% and oral hygienists between 2.1 and 10.5%. This converts to a saving in salary of R14,8 million per year. Conclusions: This study supports an increase in the training of oral hygienists for employment in mainly the public sector. The number of dental therapists and dentists currently being trained should not be increased. On the short to medium term a year of compulsory community service after graduation, which was introduced in 2000 for dentists, should be expanded to include both oral hygienists and dental therapists to deliver the minimum package of oral care. On the long term a number of posts should be created, linked to incentives, to attract both oral hygienists and dental therapists for employment in the public oral health services.
dc.description.publicationstatusYes
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherInternational Association for Dental Research (IADR)
dc.publisher.urihttp://www.dentalresearch.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3297
dc.publisher.urihttp://iadr.confex.com/iadr/2008Toronto/techprogram/abstract_107195.htm
dc.relation.ispartofstudentpublicationN
dc.relation.ispartofconferencename86th General Session & Exhibition of the IADR
dc.relation.ispartofconferencetitleJournal of Dental Research 87 (Spec issue B): 2463
dc.relation.ispartofdatefrom2008-07-02
dc.relation.ispartofdateto2008-07-05
dc.relation.ispartoflocationToronto, Canada
dc.rights.retentionY
dc.subject.fieldofresearchDentistry not elsewhere classified
dc.subject.fieldofresearchcode110599
dc.titleImpact of Water Fluoridation on Workforce Planning in South Africa
dc.typeConference output
dc.type.descriptionE3 - Conferences (Extract Paper)
dc.type.codeE - Conference Publications
gro.facultyGriffith Health, School of Dentistry and Oral Health
gro.rights.copyrightSelf-archiving of the author-manuscript version is not yet supported by this Publisher. Please refer to the conference link for access to the definitive, published version or contact the author(s) for more information.
gro.date.issued2008
gro.hasfulltextNo Full Text
gro.griffith.authorKroon, Jeroen


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    Contains papers delivered by Griffith authors at national and international conferences.

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