Ms. Katie Hu took first prize in the 2021 CDA/Dentsply Sirona Student Research Competition. The title of her award-winning project was “Oral healthcare behaviour and utilization for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.” She talked about her research project on The CDA Oasis Good News Show.
Here are some highlights of what she said during our 11-minute conversation:
- She investigated use of oral health care services & barriers to accessing these services for children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD).
- She conducted a survey of caregivers of children with FASD in Saskatchewan. The study was done in partnership with the Saskatchewan FASD Network: https://www.saskfasdnetwork.ca/ (there are great resources on this website).
- Some key findings: 85% had visited a dentist in previous two years. Almost 2/3 had required extractions. Over 50% needed sedation or GA for their care.
- Children with FASD may have altered facial features and learning disabilities. They are likely to have increased vulnerability for dental caries.
- The prevalence of FASD is 4%, thus it is a very significant developmental disability – of considerable importance to oral health care professionals.
You can watch the conversation at: https://vimeo.com/560496404.
Do you want to know more?
You can watch Katie Hu’s presentation at the research competition at: https://vimeo.com/561031489. There is a nice article about Katie in the University of Saskatchewan College of Dentistry website here
Here are two resources she suggests for further information: Link to National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (US) resource for dentists is here. Link to College of Dental Hygienists of Ontario resource on FASD is here.
Do you have a good positive news story about an initiative or a research project that will benefit or inspire Canadians, dental patients, dental team members, and/or dentists/dental students? If so, please send me a direct message to tell me about it, and why you would like to spread the good news….