Palmerston Oral Health Project Takes Out ATCA Excellence in Research Award

The Home2Health Team within the UNDA Institute for Health Research has won a national award for its evaluation of an innovative pilot program that provides free comprehensive dental care for people residing at Palmerston’s residential program for people in recovery from alcohol and drug use (AOD).  Missing teeth and chronic dental issues are common for people in AOD recovery and can negatively impact confidence, resilience, self-worth, and overall health and wellbeing.  The pilot program is a partnership between Palmerston and St Pat’s Community Support Centre in Fremantle, with residents traveling by bus each week to the dental clinics held at St Pat’s.  UNDA is seen also as an integral partner in the program and co-designed the evaluation with input from residents and staff.  The research team comprises Professor Lisa Wood and Dane Webster from the IHR, and Donna Quinn from UWA.  

Alongside the many physical, practical, and psychological benefits of having 'their teeth fixed' noted by residents, the evaluation has shown that those receiving dental care stayed on average 5 weeks longer in the recovery program. As noted by one resident, “‘it is not just about teeth’, it’s about mental health, confidence, self-esteem, and hope.... it's a massive part of recovery”.

Rapid research translation into practice is already evident; the success of the one-year pilot has led already to it being extended for another year, and the UNDA evaluation report has been included in a submission by Palmerston and St Pat’s to the current national Senate Inquiry into the affordability and accessibility of dental care in Australia.