Subject(s)
Dental Care , Dental Health Services , Indians, North American , Inuit , Canada , Dental Care/economics , Dental Care/legislation & jurisprudence , Dental Care/organization & administration , Dental Health Services/economics , Dental Health Services/legislation & jurisprudence , Dental Health Services/organization & administration , HumansABSTRACT
As part of the process of assisting in the planning of a primary dental health care system in the Commonwealth of Dominica, we conducted a survey of mostly 12-year-old children. The purpose of the survey was to assess the oral health status and identify the needs for treatment and prevention. Secondary purposes included training Dominican dental auxiliaries and assistants to collect epidemiologic data and to use the findings to compare oral health status by region and previous coverage by the auxiliaries. The sample was obtained from schools throughout the country. Examinations were conducted according to standard WHO methods, using mirrors and explorers. The findings were recorded on prepared forms and the data were processed in Toronto using microcomputers. We found 31% of children to be caries-free and the mean DMFT score to be 2.5 (95% CI 2.2-2.7). Only 8% of lesions had been treated. No differences were observed by region but in areas covered by dental auxiliaries, children had fewer decayed teeth, fewer DMFT and higher F/DMFT ratios. Only 17% scored 0 on the CPITN index and 63% scored 2, meaning they had calculus. Debris was 3.6 times more likely to be found among those with gingival bleeding or calculus compared to those with periodontal health. Single surface restorations made up 82% of the estimated 2.0 caries treatment services required. The survey findings will allow planners to design specific preventive and treatment programs to meet Dominica's needs.
Subject(s)
Dental Caries/epidemiology , Dental Health Surveys , Periodontal Diseases/epidemiology , Analysis of Variance , Child , DMF Index , Data Collection/methods , Dental Auxiliaries/education , Dominican Republic/epidemiology , Health Services Needs and Demand , Humans , Periodontal Index , Prevalence , Rural Population , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
The Canadian Dental Therapy programme was developed to meet the dental needs of remote communities in the North West Territories. In collaboration with the Mozambique Government trainees from that country are now being admitted to a modification of the programme designed to meet the needs of Mozambique. The aim is to help the Mozambicans to establish a core of supervisors, educators and providers of dental care within their dental auxiliary programme. (Editor's summary.)
