Tui'kn (Passage) to Oral Health: Community-driven population health interventions to improve oral health in Unama'ki

Oral disease is a serious public health concern facing Canada's Indigenous Peoples. Health data for people living in the five First Nations communities of Unama'ki (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada) show very high rates of preventable hospital admissions for dental conditions. This finding led to the creation of an implementation research team comprised of the Health Directors from the five Unama'ki communities (i.e., the Tui'kn partners), interdisciplinary researchers, and national and regional collaborators to address the oral health needs underlying so many hospital visits. The team is engaging directly with the communities, to explore possible solutions and to design and then implement locally-appropriate, and culturally-relevant population based oral health interventions. The focus of the interventions will be to improve oral health and reduce the high rates of preventable hospital admissions for members of the five Unama'ki communities. Implementing and evaluating solutions within five distinct First Nations communities will be invaluable in informing other communities experiencing and addressing similar oral health needs.