A brush with the law: How oral health advice is helping to rehabilitate prisoners
Improving oral health habits can help rehabilitate Scottish prisoners, a University of Dundee expert has said.
Professor Ruth Freeman from the University’s School of Dentistry says that changes in offenders’ health-related behaviours can be achieved by introducing them to better lifestyle choices.
She will be discussing her involvement in the ground-breaking People in Prison, Health Coaching for Scotland (PeP-SCOT) programme, a University-led peer health coaching initiative rolled out at HMP Perth, at the next Café Science Dundee on Monday 21 January.
“Oral health is an integral part of a person’s physical health and psycho-social wellbeing, and this is also true for people in prison” she said.
“The pain of toothache can influence a person’s mood and we know that there is a link in the homeless population between having decayed and missing teeth and depression. There’s no reason to think there might not be a similar link to those people in prison.
“Oral health can significantly impact on the quality of life of those in prison, from not being able to eat properly or having painful teeth, to more social aspects, with many feeling self-conscious or embarrassed about their appearance.”
The PeP-SCOT initiative is a peer health coaching initiative developed by the University’s Dental Health Services Research Unit, within the School of Dentistry.
Delivered in collaboration with NHS Tayside, the Scottish Prison Service and the charity Positive Prison? Positive Futures (PPPF), the project trains people in HMP Perth to become peer health coaches.
Following 92 hours of training, participants receive health coaching certification and qualifications and their skills have since been used to assist fellow prisoners to make positive lifestyles choices.
Professor Freeman added, “We are using oral health as a vehicle for social inclusion.
“As a result of PeP-SCOT we witnessed short and medium term changes in behaviour towards health, oral health, diet, exercise and smoking in the peer coaches and their clients.
“The work that we are doing is about encouraging very small changes that could lead to wider shifts in attitudes towards health. It’s about working with people to maximise their capabilities and give them control of their lives.”
Café Science Dundee takes place at Avery & Co. at 34 South Tay Street on Monday 21 January at 7pm.
Tickets are free and there is no need to book in advance, though early arrival is encouraged to avoid disappointment.