JH is a certified resident dentist at oral and maxillofacial surgery, Seoul National University Dental Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Prior to Van Nierop's arrival in Château-Chinon, the town and its surrounding area had gone two years without a resident dentist.
The selection of teeth to be treated was decided by the resident dentist(s) as part of their community dental outreach activities.
In the absence of a resident dentist, rural and remote residents did present to non-dental primary care providers with oral health problems such as toothache, abscess, oral/gum infection and sore mouth for treatment and advice.
It was based on the track record of the resident dentist(s) trained in ART through the Government training programme and regularly providing oral health activities in primary schools in accordance with the national oral health plan.
A number of participants (6) also commented that more transport options could be provided to offset costs and enable patients to travel more easily to and from the nearest regional centre with a resident dentist.
In the absence of a resident dentist, patients with an acute oral health problem may present to other primary care providers located in general medical practices, 7 hospital emergency departments (EDs), 7 9 pharmacies 10 or to an Aboriginal Health Centre.
As found elsewhere, in the absence of a resident dentist and irregularity of visiting dental services, people in the four communities did present to GP practices, local hospitals, pharmacies and Aboriginal Health Centres with a range of oral health problems.
Therefore, prior to development of the training course, a meeting needs to be arranged with the resident dentist(s) and health centre director, for discussion of these issues and approval of the ultimate collaborative goal of the oral health programme.
