Background: Untreated dental caries negatively impacts a child's quality of life including overall health and wellbeing, growth and development, social interaction ability, and school attendance. School-based toothbrushing programs have been recognised as an effective intervention to reduce the burden of dental caries. However, limited information is available to understand the real-world enablers and challenges in the implementation and sustainability of toothbrushing programs. This review aims to understand the barriers and enablers in the implementation and sustainability of toothbrushing programs in early childhood settings and primary schools.Methods: Five electronic databases [i.e., CINAHL (EBSCO), Medline (EBSCO), EMBASE (Ovid), Web of Science, and PsycINFO] and backward citation chasing were performed. The last updated databases searches were conducted in May 2022. Studies reporting on barriers and enablers in the implementation and sustainability of toothbrushing programs in early childhood settings or primary schools were included in the review. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed by using Joanna Briggs Institute [JBI] and mixed methods appraisal tool [MMAT] critical appraisal tools and results were reported in accordance with PRISMA guidelines.Results: A total of six studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. Toothbrushing programs in early childhood settings and primary schools were mostly implemented under the supervision of staff and teachers. A positive attitude of the staff, the flexibility of toothbrushing sessions, involvement of community volunteers and parents were a few of the identified enablers. However, the timing of the communication of the program, inadequate transfer of information among staff, frequent staffing turnover, lack of parental support, and staff feeling overburdened while acting as pseudo parents were frequently reported as barriers.Conclusion: The results of this systematic review identify key enablers and barriers for toothbrushing programs in early childhood settings and primary schools which need to be considered for developing oral health promotion initiatives.

Objectives: Competence in point-of-care ultrasound is recommended/mandated by several critical care specialties. Although doctors commonly attend point-of-care ultrasound short-courses for introductory training, there is little follow-up data on whether they eventually attain competence. This study was done to determine the impact of point-of-care ultrasound short-courses on point-of-care ultrasound competence. Design: Web-based survey. Setting: Follow-up after point-of-care ultrasound short-courses in the Asia-Pacific region. Subjects: Doctors who attended a point-of-care ultrasound short-course between December 2015 and February 2018. Interventions: Each subject was emailed a questionnaire on or after 6 months following their short-course. They were asked if they had performed at least 30 structured point-of-care ultrasound scans and/or reached point-of-care ultrasound competence and their perceived reasons/challenges/barriers. They were also asked if they used point-of-care ultrasound as a clinical diagnostic aid. Measurements and Main Results: The response rate was 74.9% (182/243). Among the 182 respondents, only 12 (6.6%) had attained competence in their chosen point-of-care ultrasound modality, attributing their success to self-motivation and time management. For the remaining doctors who did not attain competence (170/182, 93.4%), the common reasons were lack of time, change of priorities, and less commonly, difficulties in accessing an ultrasound machine/supervisor. Common suggestions to improve short-courses included requests for scanning practice on acutely ill ICU patients and prior information on the challenges regarding point-of-care ultrasound competence. Suggestions to improve competence pathways included regular supervision and protected learning time. All 12 credentialled doctors regularly used point-of-care ultrasound as a clinical diagnostic aid. Of the 170 noncredentialled doctors, 123 (72.4%) reported performing unsupervised point-of-care ultrasound for clinical management, either sporadically (42/170, 24.7%) or regularly (81/170, 47.7%). Conclusions: In this survey of doctors attending point-of-care ultrasound short-courses in Australasia, the majority of doctors did not attain competence. However, the practice of unsupervised point-of-care ultrasound use by noncredentialled doctors was common. Further research into effective strategies to improve point-of-care ultrasound competence is required.

Peer support is a widely recognized approach in higher education, improving learning efficiency, facilitating the exchange of knowledge, and helping students transition into university life through mutual help and collaboration. However, the evidence on the impact of peer support for an online study format, specifically in the context of postgraduate public health and health science students, is limited. This study evaluates a peer support program for postgraduate health students in the Social Determinants of Health subject at Western Sydney University who enrolled in Autumn 2021. Students were randomly allocated in groups of 4–5, and their experiences were evaluated using four focus groups discussions (FGDs). Inductive thematic analysis was conducted on the transcripts. The following three major themes were identified: (i) transitioning into university life and building academic support, (ii) promoting collaborative learning among peers, and (iii) engagement drivers, barriers, and suggested solutions. This study emphasizes the importance of peer support in aiding students’ transition into university, providing academic assistance, and addressing unexpected challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The purpose of this study was to learn about mothers’ experiences with food choices for their pre-school children in underprivileged communities in Greater Western Sydney (GWS). A total of 20 mother-child dyads living in GWS were recruited to a qualitative study from an ongoing birth cohort study. Participants’ houses were visited for semi-structured interviews, which were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed thematically. The interviews yielded five main themes: (i) food choices, nutrition, and health; (ii) accessibility and availability of foods (iii) buying time for parents; (iv) child’s age and their preference on food choices; (v) conditioning certain behaviours by family and cultural factors. Nutrition literacy, child’s preferences, unhealthy food intake by family members, child’s demand, advertising and availability of harmful foods, and time constraints were all mentioned as hurdles to mothers making appropriate meal choices for their children. However, some identified facilitators were promoting parents’ knowledge, increasing access to health educational materials, upskilling mothers to providing healthier alternatives, regulating the marketing of unhealth foods. Although, the present study identified critical factors that influence mothers’ food choices for their young children, making healthy food choices is a complex practice as it is shaped by individual, social and environmental influences.

Peer support is a widely adopted strategy in higher education, facilitating student engagement in socially safe groups to enhance knowledge and social skills. While its benefits are recognized during in-person education, evidence supporting these benefits in an online format of study, especially among postgraduate health students, remains scarce. This study explored the impact of a peersupport program on the social and emotional well-being of postgraduate health students who were studying online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Peer support groups were implemented for a mixed group of local and international students enrolled in a postgraduate health subject delivered online in 2021 at Western Sydney University, Australia. Data were collected using four focus group discussions conducted via Zoom, transcribed verbatim, translated (as required), and analyzed through inductive thematic analysis. Three major themes were identified: (i) emotional well-being and social support; (ii) social interactions and forming friendships; and (iii) facilitators and barriers to engagement. This study highlights the positive impact of the peer support program in enhancing social and emotional well-being among post-graduate health students, with most being international students. Despite the challenges posed by online learning during COVID-19, students experienced significant social, emotional, and cultural benefits from participating in the peer support program.