Community Services Learning Placement Summary

Community services learning placement is a unique program providing hands-on experiences where we as students can contribute back and learn from the local community. The community that I spent my four weeks of placement in was Ora Toa Health Services in Ashburton.
The placement started with an introduction to the hosts at Ora Toa Health Services. I was nervous and excited for this placement, as it was my first experience of working with a Maori oral health provider. To prepare myself, I read up on the principles underlying the provision of dental care for Maori. When I met the Ashburton dental team, all my worries disappeared. The dental team at Ashburton was very welcoming and warm. They quickly put us at ease with their encouragement and

As outlined by the American Dental Association, financial burden is the main barrier to getting dental treatment (Wall, Nasseh, and Vujicic, 2014). The majority of patients that we provide treatments for, pay out of their own pocket for the treatment and they tend to opt for the more economical option of treatment, which is usually extraction. One of my patients, with irreversible pulpitis and acute periapical periodontitis was unable to afford root canal treatment and was almost in tears when she told me to extract the tooth. She told me that she was just slightly over the income threshold to get a Community Services Card and that spending money for a root canal treatment will be taking a “large chunk” of money from her household’s daily expense. Financial barrier is an ongoing, widespread issue that heavily impacts upon the decision patients make to seek dental

This four week of placement with a Maori oral health provider was the perfect opportunity for me to put what we have learnt into practice. One such example was with extraction of tooth. As noted in Māori tikanga, it is expected that the return of tooth extracted be discussed with tangata whai ora (patient in care). I made sure that I had discussed the return of tooth extracted with my patient before proceeding with the dental procedure. Another important concept is the Maori health model, Te Whare Tapa Wha. Personally, I find that the four aspects of Te Whare Tapa Wha, namely, family, mental, physical and spiritual dimensions, were also relevant in providing care for patient of non-Maori ethnicity. Through this placement I’ve come to view a patient’s dental problem holistically. We are treating more than the tooth itself. Patients often have qualms about how the treatment will affect their general health or about the financial burden of the treatment on their family. For example, one patient was on alendronate (a bisphophonate); he had his tooth extracted a week ago, and now felt that the ridge where the extraction was felt sharp to his tongue. Upon examination, it was evident that a piece of bone was jutting out causing discomfort. It was a relatively simple procedure to remove it,