Table 3 Strategies used in implementing Western and Indigenous approaches to integrate oral health into primary health care

Western Approaches

• Development of one integrated dental clinic at one satellite centre for comprehensive dental services, provision of basic dental services at other nursing stations and satellite centres [46]

• Basic or Comprehensive dental services [25, 47, 49, 59, 63, 65,66,67, 70,71,72]

• Community based promotive and preventive dental services (community water fluoridation, school based programs, pit and fissure sealants, fluoride varnish, education, tobacco counselling, maternal counselling prenatal and well baby visits) [25, 47,48,49, 52,53,54,55,56, 59, 61,62,63, 65,66,67, 69, 70, 73]

• Mobile dental services [57]

• E-oral health by rural primary care providers (teleconferencing) [68]

• Visiting dentists [57]

• Training of non-dental primary are providers on dental health [50,51,52, 54, 55, 58, 60, 63, 64]

Indigenous Approaches

• Aimed for culturally competent services [46]

• Community ownership and partnerships with Indigenous communities [48,49,50,51,52,53,54, 56, 58,59,60,61,62, 64,65,66, 71,72,73]

• Culturally appropriate oral health service such as development of dental education tools in native languages [48, 67], Oral health promotion by interconnecting with the community at their local and cultural events such as circle of wellness program [70], use of Indigenously adapted aids and equipment such as toothbrushes, timers and brushing charts [61], role of elders and family tip cards designed by Indigenous Families and painted by Indigenous artist [73]

• Locally trained IHWs [25, 48, 49, 51,52,53,54,55, 58, 59, 61, 62, 65,66,67, 69, 73]

• Cultural training/advice for non-Indigenous health care providers [59, 73]