The development of Oranga niho services

In order to address the disparities in dental health and to provide an affordable and appropriate dental health service that is accessible to Maori a new approach to dental health services for Maori must be established in New Zealand. The generally poor oral health status of Maori indicates that there are barriers to dental care and other determinants of oral health that include good diet, access to fluoride, knowledge of dental entitlements and compliance with dental follow-up. This paper outlines some of the innovative developments in oranga niho services promoted by the School of Dentistry in Dunedin that include Te Whare Kaitiaki, a whanau dental clinic in the School of Dentistry at the University of Otago in Dunedin, the establishment of working partnerships between a dental provider and Maori communities (e.g. Ratana Pa/Good Health Wanganui, Tipu Ora/School Dental Service and Te Hauora o Turanganui a Kiwa Ltd/1 Mobile Dental Unit, Royal New Zealand Dental Corps) and an Iwi based oranga niho service at Te Atiawa Medical Centre in New Plymouth. These initiatives demonstrate an increasingly independent Maori partner with the Iwi-based service highlighting the assertion of tino rangatiratanga by Iwi in the development and implementation of their own services.