Open AccessCultural Context in the Effort to Improve Oral Health Among Alaska Native People: The Dental Health Aide Therapist Model
Author(s) -
Scott Wetterhall,
Barri Burrus,
Daniel A. Shugars,
James D. Bader
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2011.300356
Subject(s) - context (archaeology) , dental care , perspective (graphical) , health care , medicine , oral health , nursing , psychology , family medicine , political science , geography , archaeology , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
The Alaska Native people in rural Alaska face serious challenges in obtaining dental care. Itinerant care models have failed to meet their needs for more than 50 years. The dental health aide therapist (DHAT) model, which entails training midlevel care providers to perform limited restorative, surgical, and preventive procedures, was adopted to address some of the limitations of the itinerant model. We used quantitative and qualitative methods to assess residents' satisfaction with the model and the role of DHATs in the cultural context in which they operate. Our findings suggest that the DHAT model can provide much-needed access to urgent care and is beneficial from a comprehensive cultural perspective.