As a Dental Hygiene Practitioner, I wear multiple hats and continue to undertake things which my dental hygiene education program never prepared me for. I have created this infographic to illustrate a couple of my superpowers.
At the top is an ear to illustrate that any point of contact with any client or program stakeholder is entered with cultural safety and humility meaning that I listen respectfully without judgement. My role in public health is not only about addressing issues in the mouth but also addressing other issues clients may face which impacts their oral health; money and access being the biggest barriers. From there, I take all the information gathered to create a plan which addresses the client’s or stakeholders’ concerns which encompasses critical thinking and decision making as I do not believe in a one size fits all approach. Lastly, I ensure discussion and agreement with clients and stakeholders.
In addition to creating a safe space, three of my superpowers are problem-solver, collaborator and health promoter. The pandemic has forced public health dental programs to harness technology in creative and innovative ways in order to pivot face-to-face points of contact for oral health conversations. Using technology for Zoom video calls for 1:1s or group oral health sessions, webinars for potential stakeholders to better understand the importance of oral health for overall health and proposing collaboration opportunities for stakeholders. Using social media to connect with FaceBook storytime video sessions, posting videos from dental professionals about the importance of tooth brushing, and posting photos of children brushing their teeth to participate in a tooth brushing contest.
Recently, I have been able to utilize the in house mobile video interpreter to communicate with clients in their native language while educating them about the importance of oral health. In other cases, when technology is not available or accessible, I have added printed oral health resources into oral health care packages which are distributed within communities. In my day-to-day work, I am often problem solving by asking questions, leveraging my relationships and raising the oral health profile in search for possible solutions.
Morgan (2019) describes the role of instructional designers as complex with some seeing the role of Instructional Designers as change agents (Campbell et al., 2009 as cited in Morgan 2019). This point resonated with me as dental hygienists are change agents who advocate for marginalized groups while challenging and pushing boundaries; they are not solely “gum gardeners” or “teeth cleaners”. My work allows me to harness these superpowers with the reward of seeing a child’s happy, healthy smile.
References
First Nations Health Authority. (n.d.) Cultural safety and humility.
https://www.fnha.ca/wellness/wellness-and-the-first-nations-health-authority/cultural-safety-and-humility
Morgan, T. (2019). Instructional Designers and Open Education Practices: Negotiating the Gap between Intentional and Operational Agency. Open Praxis, 11(4), 369-380.