RESUMO
Natural or manmade catastrophic events place great manpower demands on communities and their health care and public health systems. This calls for ever preparedness on the part of the health care workers. Dentists are not perceived as much of help in case of any disaster event. Although the first responders are primarily looked upon for in case of any disaster response; if called upon dentists can be a source of vital support in medical surge events. Dentists and dental auxiliaries can augment the existing medical professionals, in responding to a declared medical emergency. Dentists are exposed to information in many general medical areas during their pre-doctoral education that can be useful in disaster response situations. Dentists have the clinical skills and medical knowledge that are invaluable assets in a mass casualty event. Dentists can be given the opportunity with additional targeted training to become more effective responders to natural disasters and other catastrophic events. Inculcating disaster training in the undergraduate and post graduate curriculum will better prepare the dentist for any surge event. The present article explores the various duties which dental professionals can play in a major public health disaster.
RESUMO
Objectives: To assess the prevalence of dental caries among 5 and 12-year-old schoolchildren in Chandigarhand to explore and suggest suitable preventive programmes for the prevention of dental caries in this population.Materials and methods: Twenty out of 101 schools were randomly selected for the study. A totalof 1113 subjects were examined from May 2008 to September 2009. Data regarding dental caries experienceusing dmft index for 5-year-old and DMFT index for 12-year-old school children were collected on astructured format. Results: Among the 5-year-old children examined, 46.8% (271) were females and 53.2%(308) were males. Considering the 12-year-old age group, 46.6 % (249) were females and 53.4% (285) weremales. Regarding the 5-year-old age group, 48.3% (579) of subjects were affected with dental caries, andin the 12-year-old age group, the amount was 30.52% (534). The prevalence of dental caries was more in5 years age group. Conclusion: In the present study, it was observed that 51.7% of the 5-year-old subjectswere caries free and the mean DMFT was 0.53 at 12 years of age. Hence, it may be concluded that W.H.O.global oral health goals for 5 and 12 year olds are achieved in Chandigarh. Still, as public health people, wehave to aim at achieving 0 (zero) DMFT for all school going children.
Objetivos: Avaliar a prevalência de cárie dentária em crianças com idade entre 5 e 12 anos em Chandigarh,e explorar e sugerir programas para a prevenção da cárie dentária nesta população. Materiais e métodos:Vinte de 101 escolas foram selecionadas aleatoriamente para o estudo. Um total de 1.113 indivíduos foramexaminados entre maio de 2008 e setembro de 2009. Os dados referentes à experiência de cárie foram coletadosem um formato estruturado pelo índice cpo-d para 5 anos e índice CPO-D para crianças de 12 de idade.Resultados: Dentre as crianças de 5 anos examinadas, 46.8% (271) eram do gênero feminino e 53.2% (308)eram do gênero masculino. No grupo de 12 anos, 46.6% (249) eram do gênero feminino e 53.4% (285) eramdo gênero masculino. No grupo de 5 anos de idade, 48.3% (579) dos sujeitos foram afetados por cáries; já nogrupo de 12 anos de idade, o percentual foi de 30.52% (534). A prevalência de cárie foi maior no grupo de5 anos. Conclusão: No presente estudo, observou-se que 51.7% das crianças de 5 anos eram livres de cáriee a média de CPO-D foi de 0.53 para o grupo de 12 anos. Desse modo, foi possível concluir que as metas daOMS para saúde bucal para crianças de 5 e 12 anos de idade foram atingidas em Chandigarh. Porém, nacondição de pessoas de saúde pública temos que atingir o objetivo de CPOD zero para todas as criançasem idade escolar.