Health educational aspects of preventive dental programs for school-age children in 34 countries--final results of an FDI international survey.
The survey was conducted as part of a project of the Working Group on Oral Health Promotion of CORE, in order to provide a basis for the FDI to plan ways to assist its member associations in developing successful preventive dental programs for school-age children. Mail questionnaires were distributed through national dental associations and completed by dental program directors. A total of 119 responses from 34 countries has been analysed. The programs reported tended to be young, supported by public funds, carried out in schools and part of ongoing agency or organizational programs. Instructional activities were the most frequently mentioned service provided routinely for all children, followed by early detection and treatment services. Primary preventive services appeared to be provided least frequently. About 60 per cent of programs served children drinking water from central sources, but only 16 per cent of programs served children drinking optimally fluoridated water. Water fluoridation was the most frequently mentioned procedure that respondents would have liked to see added or extended if additional resources were to be made available. Program organization was the most frequently mentioned reason for program success. The five most frequently mentioned barriers were insufficient financial resources (most often cited), manpower limitations, low public acceptance, non-supportive attitudes among policy makers and inadequate facilities. As a result of the survey three major needs were identified: (1) the need for more efficient application of known effective primary protective methods, especially against dental caries; (2) the need to improve the correspondence between program objectives, the types of services provided and the evaluation methods used to assess and evaluate program achievements; and (3) the need for greater understanding of the scope of community health educational aspects of oral health, prevention and dental treatment. Specification of these and similar problems should lead the FDI working group to recommend priorities on the type of assistance to provide to member nations and the manner of its provision, perhaps in concert with the World Health Organization and the International Association for Dental Research.
D002648:Child; D003153:Community Health Services; D005459:Fluorides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D012571:School Dentistry; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013664:Teaching Materials; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control
D005459:Fluorides