Oral health and personnel needs in the Pacific.
A regional review of oral health in the Pacific showed the major problems to be dental caries, periodontal diseases, poor dental health service management and lack of appropriate dental personnel. A strategy for training appropriate dentists to manage oral health services in the Pacific was suggested. Such a strategy must include training of ancillary and auxiliary dental health workers guided by dentists with clinical and managerial competencies. The training programme for dentists must be career-ladder, problem-based, and community-oriented with competency-based learning of a spiral of tasks with increasing sophistication. The curriculum content must contain about 50 percent on public health and clinical aspects, respectively.
Finau
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Community Health Services, South Pacific Commission, Noumea, New Caledonia.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002322:Career Mobility; D002648:Child; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003162:Competency-Based Education; D003479:Curriculum; D003727:Dental Auxiliaries / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003752:Dental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003815:Dentists / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004497:Education, Dental; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008875:Middle Aged; D009909:Oral Health; D010139:Pacific Islands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010510:Periodontal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011340:Problem Solving; D011361:Professional Competence; D011636:Public Health Dentistry / Q000193:education