hrvatski

Preventivni dentalni program „zubna putovnica“

Introduction: Dental caries is the most common oral disease that affects 60-90% of schoolchildren and remains a public health problem. Decrease in caries prevalence is based on complex primary and secondary prevention measures that include improved oral hygiene, fluoride prophylaxis, proper nutrition and health education, and early diagnosis and treatment. The need for planning and implementation of dental preventive program in Croatia has resulted in the implementation of measures to improve the existing dental health care for schoolchildren through the national program “Dental Passport”, which began in the 2017/2018 school year. The program is multidisciplinary and is implemented within the regular work of school and dental medicine teams. Organized preventive examinations are intended to cover six-year-olds and twelve- year-olds with the aim of reducing the incidence of caries, motivating parents and students to respond permanently and going for an examination, and encouraging dentists to realize the importance of preventive examinations and procedures. Aim: Demonstrate the effectiveness of interdisciplinary collaboration between school and dental medicine in developing a system of regular control dental examinations and preventive procedures for 6th grade students and preschoolers enrolling in the 1st grade of primary school. Methods: The data was collected from completed “Dental Passport” forms from September 2017 until August 2018. The 6th grade students and preschoolers enrolling in the 1st grade of primary school were given the forms directly from school medicine doctor or in school. The dental examinations and diagnostic- therapeutic procedures were recorded in the Central Health Information System of Croatia during clinical examinations carried out by dental practitioners who had signed contracts with the Croatian Health Insurance Fund. Results: In the school year 2017/2018, out of 39, 184 6th grade elementary school students, 24, 729 students visit a dentist, with the response of 68% for Croatia. According to CEZIH data, in the period from September 1 to December 31, in 2017, an increase in the number of first examinations and diagnostic- therapeutic procedures was observed in children aged 12 years compared to the same period in 2015. The least reported preventative procedures in preschool children and 6th grade students were fissure sealing and sealing restorations, while demonstration of mouth cleaning and motivating of children for oral hygiene were the most commonly reported procedures. For 6th grade students, the average DMFT index was 2.6. A significant proportion of children with caries (73.5%) were observed in preschoolers (73, 5%). Conclusion: Good organization of work in school medicine provides the basis for the implementation of dental programs involving schoolchildren but greater motivation of the dental health care provider in the implementation of preventive procedures and motivation of parents and patients for more active involvement in the program “Dental Passport” are important determinants for further implementation and improvement of oral health in children.

dentalni preventivni program

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