A pioneering pilot project teaching dental health in the Yankunytjatjara language has proven to enhance oral health knowledge, speech, and literacy for First Nations children in South Australia’s remote APY Lands.
Launched in the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara (APY) region, the initiative aimed to teach children dental hygiene practices using their native language, engaging them through interactive learning activities. The program not only improved oral health awareness but also helped preserve and expand the use of the Yankunytjatjara language into a new domain—dental health.
The project, a collaboration with the Indulkana and Mimili communities, reached over 180 participants, including children and their families. Karina Lester, a Senior Aboriginal Language Worker and project team member, explained, “Kids were fully engaged with these workshops and activities. This project was designed for Aṉangu children in their language, within their community, and delivered by their families.”
The integration of language into community health initiatives has been shown to directly improve health outcomes while supporting the preservation of cultural languages. By teaching dental health practices in a familiar linguistic and cultural context, the project fostered better community engagement, retention of oral health knowledge, and stronger connections to the language.
One of the most impactful results of the program was the lasting impression it left on participants. After a three-month gap between workshops, when the team returned to Indulkana, the children remembered them as ‘Katitiku Ninti Tjuta,’ or “the teeth people.”
This project was featured in the Closing the Gap 2024 Annual Report, which highlights its alignment with Priority Reform One and Target 16—strengthening formal partnerships, shared decision-making, and the flourishing of cultures and languages.
The pilot was led by the University of Adelaide’s Mobile Language Team in partnership with the Dental Hygienists Association of Australia and Nganampa Health Council. It was funded through the Indigenous Languages and Arts (ILA) program.
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