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Dentist
The negative consequences of poor oral health and its effect on speech, eating, self-esteem, social interaction, education, career achievement, and emotional state have been well documented. "More than 51 million school hours are lost each year to dental-related illness. Employed adults lose more than 164 million hours of work each year due to dental disease or dental visits."1 Obviously, oral health and wellness is crucial to uninterrupted education and training. Good oral health is essential to employment readiness.
Oral Health & Wellness
Oral health is an integral component of general physical health. Many systemic diseases and conditions have oral manifestations. Conversely, oral diseases and conditions can cause some systemic diseases and conditions. Oral health affects overall health and quality of life. The broadened concept of oral health parallels the broadened concept of health. As defined by the World Health Organization, the definition of health is a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and not just the absence of infirmity.
The Surgeon Generals Report on oral health found that oral diseases and disorders in and of themselves affect health and well-being throughout life. The burden of oral problems is extensive. Common dental diseases and other oral infections may undermine self-image and self-esteem, discourage normal social interaction, and lead to chronic stress and depression as well as incur great financial cost. They may also interfere with vital functions such as breathing, eating, swallowing, and speaking and with activities of daily living such as work, school, and family interactions.... We see ourselves, and others see us, in terms of the face we present to the world. Diminish that image in any way and we risk the loss of self-esteem and well-being.2
Conversely, enhance that image by oral health and wellness practices and one bolsters self-esteem and well-being. Wellness practices include oral health promotional behaviors such as eating nutritiously, practicing good oral hygiene, and making appropriate visits to the dentist.
When students embrace, an oral health and wellness lifestyle they reduce their risk for oral disease, maintain their teeth in good repair, and take preventative measures to reduce the risk of orofacial trauma.
Connection to Employability
The social and economic impact of oral disease in terms of lost days and years of productive work is substantial. Acute and chronic dental problems leading to restricted activity and work loss can jeopardize job performance and stability.
Unhealthy conditions of the teeth, gums, jaw, lips, and tongue can have deleterious psychological and physical effects on a students ability to succeed in Job Corps and in later life. Toothaches, unattractive appearance, inability to chew properly because of multiple missing teeth, and bad breath can also be impairments to social interaction, job training, and employment.
Optimal oral health and wellness is a critical prerequisite to successful training and employment. Moreover, oral health and wellness can promote social and employability skills. For example, at the pivotal time in a job interview, presenting a pleasing, selfconfident smile could convince the prospective employer that the student could do the job, would perform with pride, and would be a pleasant coworker.
Oral Health & Wellness Program Philosophy
Job Corps employs a training approach that prepares youth for employment. Similarly, Job Corps employs a holistic wellness approach that integrates students overall wellbeing, employability skills, and optimal health status through a combination of on-center health services and related health programs to prepare students for stable, long-term employment. Oral health and wellness is key to undistracted learning, speaking and an attractive appearance, as well as to uninterrupted training and work attendance.
The oral health and wellness program is designed to increase students awareness of their own personal responsibility in achieving and maintaining oral health and wellness. The philosophy of the Job Corps policy regarding oral health is based upon the following precepts and truisms:
- Oral health status is integral to students general physical health status and vice versa. Students cannot be healthy without good oral health.
- Optimal oral health plays an important role in interpersonal and social relationships.
- Certain oral conditions, when left untreated, present major psychosocial barriers to students well-being and prevent students from adapting completely to Job Corps and the workplace.
- Optimal oral health is the personal responsibility of each student. One task of a Job Corps center is to make students aware of this responsibility and encourage them to assume it.
- Job placement upon completion of training is often influenced by a full complement of teeth in good repair and free from gum disease.
- Oral diseases involving the teeth and supporting structures cause a significant amount of absenteeism from training and jobs.
- Perception of the condition and appearance of ones teeth can affect self-confidence and self-esteem.
- Safe and effective disease prevention measures exist that everyone can adopt to improve oral health and prevent oral disease.
The determination, dedication, diligence, and attitude that it takes to achieve oral health and wellness is translatable to seeking employment, maintaining employment, and succeeding in the workplace.
Program Purpose & Objectives
Many students have not had the benefit of routine oral care prior to entering Job Corps. The suboptimal oral health status of many entering students is attributable to their previous lack of access to oral care and preventive services. As a result, many students arrive on center with a tremendous need for restorative care and oral health promotional skills training.
The PRH stipulates that centers provide basic dental services to assist students in attaining and maintaining optimal health and wellness while they are in Job Corps. In the course of obtaining oral health and wellness services, students learn:
- About the centers health care delivery system and how to seek on-center health care
- How and when to access community health services
- About wellness concepts and the steps to take to maintain personal wellness
- About their individual oral condition and prescribed treatment
- About appropriate lifestyle choices
- How to take personal responsibility for maintaining optimal health
- How employability skills can be applied in the course of obtaining oral health and wellness services
- That optimal oral health and wellness is a prerequisite to employment readiness
1 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General-Executive Summary. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, 2000.
2 Ibid.