Migration of oral health professionals: a scoping review protocol

Introduction Each year, many dental professionals are trained; however, many low-income and middle-income countries face a scarcity of dental professionals. This trend has been observed because of the migration of oral health professionals from developing to developed countries for various reasons such as professional, economic or personal. This negatively impacts the healthcare system by causing critical shortages of trained personnel to support the oral healthcare needs of the countries where the oral health professionals migrate from (source countries). The key objectives of this scoping review are to assess the intentions behind the migrations, identify the countries the graduates migrate to and from, examine the barriers to and facilitators of integrating oral health professionals, as well as the challenges they face post migration.Methods and analysis A scoping review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Review (PRISMA-ScR) and the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. Scientific databases such as Dentistry and Oral Sciences Source, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, MEDLINE and Scopus will be systematically searched to identify potential articles. In addition, grey literature will be searched to identify unpublished materials relevant to the topic using Google Scholar and Google. The reviewers will assess the retrieved sources in a three-step search strategy, and a PRISMA-ScR flowchart will document the numbers of identified, screened and excluded sources. The scoping review will collate and present the findings as a descriptive analysis. Finally, the narrative descriptions will be presented in a thematic form based on the findings of the scoping review.Ethics and dissemination This scoping review is based on a secondary analysis of published data; hence, ethical approval is not required. The findings of this study will be disseminated through publication in a peer-reviewed journal, professional networks and conferences

Fluoride Content in Bottled Water in Fiji

Abstract Object ives: The aims o f this study was to evaluate the fluoride content of bottled drinking water co mmercially available in Fiji in March 2006; and to report on the labelling of fluoride concentrations. Methods and Materials: Co mmercially available bottled water in Fiji, in March 2006 was purchased fro m supermarkets. Three bottles of 11 brands were purchased. Ten millilitres of each water sample was mixed with 2 millilit res of spands reagent; these were then tested for fluoride concentrations using photo spectrometry at wavelength of 580 nano metres. The fluoride concentrations listed on the sample labels were also noted and compared with the results obtained fro m the spectrometry test. Results: The mean (±standard deviation) of fluoride was 0.09 (±0.05) pp m. None of the brands tested labelled the fluoride concentration in the bottled water. The range of fluoride concentration was between 0.02 to 0.34 pp m. There was also a vast variation of fluoride concentrations within the same brand of product. Conclusions: Co mmercially available bottled drin king waters in Fiji contain a wide range of concentrations of fluoride and none of the manufacturers labelled the content of fluoride on the bottle. It was also noted that none of the brands contained optimal levels of fluoride

Fluoride concentration in drinking water samples in Fiji

Abstract Objective: The main aim of this study was to determine the content of fluoride in drinking water from sources within the sampling areas for the National Oral Health Survey (NOHS) 2011 from the Central, Northern, Western and Eastern Divisions in the Fiji Islands. Method: Drinking water samples were collected from taps, a waterfall, wells, creeks, streams, springs, rivers, boreholes and rain water tanks in a diverse range of rural and urban areas across the Fiji Islands. A total of 223 areas were sampled between December 2014 and June 2015. Samples were analysed for fluoride using a colorimetric assay with the Zirconyl‐SPADNS Reagent. The samples were pre‐treated with sodium arsenite solution prior to analysis to eliminate interference from chlorine. Results: Measured fluoride concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 0.35 ppm, with a mean concentration across all samples of 0.03 + 0.04 ppm. No samples achieved the optimal level for caries prevention (0.7 ppm). The Western Division had the highest fluoride levels compared to the other Divisions. The highest single fluoride concentration was found in Valase. The drinking water for this rural area located in the Western Division is from a borehole. The lowest concentrations of fluoride were in reticulated water samples from rural areas in the Central Division, which were consistently less than those recorded in the Northern, Eastern and Western Divisions. Conclusion: All samples had fluoride concentrations below the optimum level required to prevent dental caries. Implications for public health: This research forms part of the objectives of the 2011 National Oral Health Survey in Fiji. At present, Fiji lacks water fluoridation and therefore a baseline of the fluoride content in drinking water supplies is essential before water fluoridation is implemented. The results from this study would be beneficial in designing caries‐preventive strategies through water fluoridation and for comparing those strategies with caries prevalence overtime