It’s never too early to develop good habits. Healthy routines started in childhood can be retained through to adulthood, and potentially deliver a lifetime of positive effects. However, it can be challenging to get access to deliver these messages at the right time to have maximum impact. Karen Griffin’s story is an example of how innovative approaches can help you communicate the importance of dental health.

Karen qualified as Dental Nurse from Dublin Dental Hospital in 2003 and has continued working in the same dental practice since 2001.  After 16 years, Karen decided she needed a new challenge, and chose to further her studies, beginning a 2-year BSc course in Dental Practice Management with Oral Health Promotion.  After so long away from studying, this was a huge lifestyle change.  She needed to update both her studying skills and adapt to new technology to access learning materials. Karen was fortunate to have a supportive boss who facilitated her study, and she has continued to work while studying part time. The course has really opened her eyes to new possibilities, and in addition to expanding her knowledge, Karen has enjoyed meeting new people and experiencing new situations.

As part of the course, Karen had to deliver a presentation, something she had never done before.  Karen chose the subject of “Antenatal Intervention”, as she encountered considerable gaps in knowledge about oral health amongst expectant mothers.  Speaking to a room of mums to be and midwives, Karen’s presentation was really well received by a receptive audience, so much so that she was asked to return on a monthly basis.

Karen was somewhat concerned by the continued prevalence of many false myths around oral health, pregnancy, and dental care for infants.  She frequently came across comments such as “you always lose a tooth each time you are pregnant” or “baby teeth don’t matter”. Karen is passionate about communicating accurate and helpful information to expectant mums. For instance, she would inform patients about why bleeding gums may be common during pregnancy, and the importance of a balanced diet and controlling sugar intake during pregnancy – something that can be challenging when you are coping with pregnancy induced food cravings! 

Karen would always look to continue her educational programme once baby arrived. Working with midwives, she would explain how cleaning gums is important before the first teeth erupt. This not only keeps gums healthy but helps both mum and baby become confident and familiar with toothbrushes and brushing techniques. TePe assisted Karen in this work by providing free samples of specialist brushes, which Karen distributed as part of a support pack to her patients.

Unfortunately, Covid proved to be a major disruption to Karen’s work, preventing physical access to new mums and their babies, with midwives in Eire now having to complete their antenatal care over the internet.

In the future, Karen is hoping to work with cross disciplinary teams to deliver a holistic approach to oral health education for expectant mums and new babies, and can’t wait to get back to delivering information, advice and guidance to both midwives and expectant mothers. After all, the healthy oral care habits she is helping to develop have the potential to deliver a whole lifetime’s worth of positive benefits.