Found In Translation: Nelson Refugee Dental Education Translation Project

A dentist has embraced Nelson’s refugee community. Richmond dentist Dr Jacob Linn has successfully worked with the largest refugee communities in the region, helping to improve dental literacy and increase awareness of available dental services.

“I saw that a number of refugee patients were coming through the hospital system in Nelson. I identified there’s a real need for improved dental and oral health resources in languages that patients can understand. My goal was to breakdown the language barrier which has been preventing access to care,” said Dr Linn, who was then working in the Nelson-Marlborough DHB Dental Department.

In Nelson the main refugee ethnic groups are Colombian, Burmese, and Bhutanese. This became the starting point for the creation of the dental resources which have been distributed to local dental practices, education providers, and the communities themselves.

Dr Linn successfully applied for a $US1000 Oral Health Education grant from the New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) and Mars Wrigley Foundation Community Service Grants programme.

“We decided to focus on three main refugee communities in Nelson to maximise reach of the project. The Red Cross Pathways to Settlement programme has helped these groups relocate to the Nelson-Tasman region over the past 15 years. As a result, Red Cross have established connections within these communities and have assisted with distribution of these resources.

“What I love about this project has been liaising with different people, including the interpreters, and meeting with many people in the community,” concludes Dr Linn.

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