Everyone can change the world, one challenge at a time

In 2000, my nephew was born with a heart defect. Approximately one in every 100 babies are born with a heart defect; the total number of Australian children with this condition aged 0-18 is estimated at 34,560.

Some defects are mild and cause no significant disturbance to the way the heart functions. However, for more than half of all children with a heart defect, it is serious enough to require treatment. My nephew, Braydon, was one of 50% with a heart defect serious enough to require treatment.

Braydon was my brother’s first child, and we had no idea the impact this tiny baby would make on our lives. He was unwell from day one, but no one knew what was wrong with him. After 5 long weeks of tests, it was determined that Braydon had a heart condition, and he was flown from Adelaide to Melbourne for open heart surgery. Although he was able to return home after his surgery, he spent much of his first year in hospital.

Braydon recently turned 18, and I’m relieved to say that a recent check-up confirmed that he is as fit as other boys his age. That’s not to say it hasn’t taken a lot for him to get there. Many families with children with heart defects have to travel long distances for treatment. Unsurprisingly the focus is on the child’s life-threatening condition and other needs such as oral health can be overlooked or care is difficult to access.

It is important for children with heart conditions to have good oral health to prevent not only pain, infection and difficulty eating, but also to prevent infection of the lining of the heart from bacteria from the mouth. Children with heart conditions in Australia have been reported to have difficulty accessing adequate oral health care in the community, and as a result can present before heart surgery with advanced tooth decay that needs urgent treatment before the heart surgery.

Almost 50% of children with heart disease have their surgery delayed, as their dental treatment needs to be managed first. Dental diseases pose high risks for children with heart conditions, as the bacteria involved have direct and drastic implications for the treatment of cardiac conditions, and can be life threatening.

An eviDent facilitated project aims to make it easier for Victorian children with heart conditions to access oral health care at an early stage, by providing both parents and dental professionals with tools and resources to improve access to care. Preventive treatment and improved access to care will result in less dental caries, improved oral health, and better oral and cardiac health.

The project aims to create and pilot pathways for Victorian children with heart conditions to access dental services for prevention and treatment in Victorian hospitals and the community. This will be informed by key stakeholders, including parents, dental professionals and the Royal Children’s Hospital cardiac team, to tailor services provided, improving engagement and utilisation.

One of the parents involved with the study reported,

‘The hard thing always with dentistry… when they need a filling it’s easy to feel very terrible as a parent as you know dentistry is a different kettle of fish [cause] you feel bad, feel responsible as a parent for their dental treatment… [as opposed to the heart]’.

This innovative combined care pathway for oral health will be unique for Australia and, if successful in increasing access to care and prevention, will improve oral and cardiac health outcomes, and may be expanded to other Australian services.

At the moment, this project is running with in-kind support from various sources, including the University of Melbourne and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, but more is needed.

This is a project dear to my heart, and no doubt that of 34,560 families of children born with a heart defect.

Register to Color Run with Team eviDent and help us to raise money to fund this project that aims to improve access to care and put a smile on the faces of cardiac kids.

If you can’t join me on the run, then please donate to help me reach my fundraising target. 

I would welcome any contribution, great or small, that you could make!

Thanks so much for your support!