Programa de salud bucal en escolares El Carmen, 1994 - 2007, Chile / Oral health program for El Carmen school children 1994 – 2007, Chile

RESUMEN

El Carmen era una comuna caracterizada por la pobreza, ruralidad y altos niveles de daño dental a principios de 1990. Esto llevó a que las autoridades locales y regionales junto a la Facultad de Odontología de la Universidad de Concepción desarrollaran un programa de salud bucal basado en el concepto de prevención temprana, ajustado a la realidad local y que promoviera la participación y empoderamiento de la comunidad en su salud. A lo largo de 13 años este programa ha sufrido varias modificaciones, principalmente de aumento y mejoramiento de coberturas, infraestructura y desempeño operacional. La cobertura e impacto partieron en valores cercanos al 10 por ciento durante el 1º año hasta alcanzar el 100 por ciento en los últimos. Mientras que el COPD disminuyo de 7,38 en 1994 hasta llegar al 2,3 el 2007, muy cercano a las metas nacionales hacia el año 2010. Sin duda el programa ha mostrado ser exitoso en el mediano y largo plazo, esto gracias al compromiso de todos los actores involucrados, a la flexibilidad y permanente evolución mostrada para adaptarse a las condicionantes de la comunidad.

ABSTRACT

In 1990 the rural community of “El Carmen” presented high levels of poverty and dental damage. This led local and regional authorities to join forces with the Dental Faculty of Universidad de Concepción to implement an oral health program based on the concept of early prevention. This program was designed to fit the local reality, promoting participation of the community and strengthening their health. For 13 years the program has undergone several modifications, which have mainly increased and improved coverage, infrastructure, and operational performance. The initial coverage and impact was near 10 percent and in recent years, has reached 100 percent of the community. DMFT index has dropped gradually and significantly; in 1994 it was 7.38 and in 2007 it was 2.3. The latter value is very close to national goal set for 2010. Clearly, this program has proven to be succesfull in the mid- and long-term. This is due to the commitment shown by all the professionals involved in the program as well as its flexible nature and constant improvement, which has allowed it to adapt to local reality.