Municipal Dental Service Research Articles

Regional problems of the state and municipal dental service of the Orenburg region

The research has been aimed to estimate the dynamic change of the levels of people's satisfaction with dental aid, quality of clinical and preventive medical care among adult patients in municipal and state hospitals of Orenburg region over the period of 2015-2017. The study has been based upon annual reports of medical information analysis center of statistics of the Orenburg region Health Ministry. The calculations have been done with standard formula given in the manuals on medical statistics. The number of visits to the dentist amounted to 767.7 in 2015, and 746.5 in 2017 as calculated for 1000 people. The number of dentists' jobs in basic clinical and preventive medical care profiles is decreasing; it amounted to 55.2% of the necessary number which corresponds to the Russian Federation Health Ministry recommendations. Dentists occupy 53.3% of dentist posts. The coverage of posts of dentists, dental therapists, surgeons and orthopedists is 75.7%, and it is not going to increase. The percentage of teeth with dental caries complications has increased from 27.2% to 34.1% over the past three years. The ratio of treated teeth to extracted ones amounted to 2.5:1 in 2015, 2.4:1 in 2016, 2.3:1 in 2017. The percentage of patients not needing dental treatment was 54.7% in 2017, and 42.2% of primary patients. Thus the dental care provided to adult people in state and municipal hospitals is not sufficient which is evidenced by lack of specialists, low ratio of patients not needing treatment, frequent cases of dental caries complications and extractions, the decrease of people visiting state and municipal hospitals.

Dentoalveolar oral surgery in children and adolescents: organization and surgical treatment in a large, Danish municipal dental service

Objective: To describe a population-based organization of dentoalveolar surgical service for 0 to 18-year old subjects in a Danish municipal dental service, and analyze the type of dentoalveolar surgical interventions needed.Material and methods: The study was conducted in the Municipality of Aarhus, Denmark during five consecutive school-years. An internal referral system was established within the municipality where patients could be referred to colleagues with a higher level of competencies and more experiences with paediatric dentoalveolar surgery. The analysis includes a total of 1812 children and a total of 2854 surgical interventions.Results: Almost 80% of the patients, representing more than 80% of the dentoalveolar surgical interventions needed, were referred internally. Denudations were the most frequent treatment type (40.3%) carried out, followed by removal of third molars (18.0%). Furthermore, 22 odontomas and 100 supernumerary teeth were removed.Conclusions: The need of dentoalveolar surgery in children and adolescents is relatively low, but includes a wide range of interventions. An organizational system, where dentists can refer to colleagues who have developed special competencies in this field, results in most of these surgical patients being referred and treated internally.

Danish dentists’ and dental hygienists’ knowledge of and experience with suspicion of child abuse or neglect

Studies from several countries have shown that knowledge of child protection matters among the dental team is inadequate. No such data are available from Denmark. To describe dental teams perception of their role in child protection matters. A previously used questionnaire regarding the role of the dental team in child protection was adopted to Danish terminology, and mailed to a sample of Danish dentists and dental hygienists. A total of 1145 (76.3%) returned a questionnaire with valid data; 38.3% reported to have had suspicion of child abuse or neglect. Of those who reported a suspicion, 33.9% had reported their suspicion to social services. This was more frequent for dentists than for dental hygienists, and more frequent for respondents working in the municipal dental service than in private practice. Most frequently reported barriers towards referring suspicion to social services were uncertainty about observations, fear of violence in the family towards the child, and lack of knowledge regarding referral procedures. The majority of the respondents expressed a need for further education. Members of the dental team in Denmark do not seem to fill their role sufficiently in child protection matters, and perceive a need for undergraduate and continuing postgraduate training.

Midazolam conscious sedation in a large Danish municipal dental service for children and adolescents

The aim of this study was to describe the introduction and the first six years use of midazolam for conscious sedation in a municipal dental service in Denmark. In 1998, all dentists were introduced to midazolam conscious sedation. A sedation chart was filled in for each session, and parents' assessment was obtained. In 2004, all clinical materials were collected. Six hundred and eighty sessions were performed; 63.7% of the children were between 2 and 6 years of age; 88.5% belonged to American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1; 74.8% of the sedations performed used the oral route of administration. Restorations were performed during 60.3% of the sessions, and extractions during 38.4%. Complications during the sessions were rare, the most frequent being double vision (6.1%), hiccups (2.7%), and paradoxical reaction (2.0%). Using Wilton's sedation scale, 42.9% were calm and 27.7% were agitated during treatment, whereas after treatment 61.7% were calm; 80.4% of the parents were very positive towards this sedation method. Sedation with midazolam for dental treatment of children with dental fear and anxiety is a feasible and an efficient method with a low rate of complications. It can probably reduce the need for dental treatment under general anaesthesia.

Prevalence of dental anxiety and behavior management problems among six to eight years old Danish children

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of dental anxiety among 6 to 8-year-old Danish children using the Children's Fear Survey Schedule-Dental Subscale (CFSS-DS) and behavior management problems. The study was designed as a population-based cross-sectional survey of children attending the municipal dental service in four municipalities in the county of North Jutland, Denmark. In 2001, the CFSS-DS questionnaire was mailed to the parents of all children born in 1993, 1994, and 1995 (parents of 1666 children) in 4 municipalities. Data on behavior management problems were collected from the children's dental records held by the municipal dental service. Questionnaires were returned from 1281 (76.9%) parents. The prevalence of dental anxiety (i.e. CFSS-DS S 38) was 5.7% (95% CI: 4.6%-7.1%), and the median CFSS-DS score was 22 (1st quartile 19; 3rd quartile 27). A history of behavior management problems was observed in 37.2% (95% CI: 33.3%-41.1%) of all children who had had dental treatment, but more often in children with dental anxiety.

Oral health status among schoolchildren in Romania, 1992.

In Romania, systematic information on the occurrence of oral diseases in children is scarce. The purpose of the present study was to describe the prevalence and the pattern of dental caries in schoolchildren, and to use the data to provide a baseline for planning and evaluation of oral health care. A national sample of children at grade 1 (n = 729) and grade 6 (n = 660) was chosen consistent with the WHO pathfinder principle. Clinical examinations were carried out according to the recording system for the Danish Municipal Dental Service and the following results were obtained. In children of grade 1 (7-yr-olds) the prevalence proportion of caries in primary teeth was 86% and in permanent teeth 39%. The mean caries indices were 11.4 defs and 1.3 DMFS. At grade 6 (12-yr-olds) the prevalence proportion of caries in primary teeth was 17% and in permanent teeth 90%. The mean caries experience was 0.8 defs and 6.5 DMFS, and a mean of 4.1 DMFT was observed. In both groups, the D-component of the caries index was dominant. The children were also classified by caries severity zone. At grade 1, 61% had a very severe pattern of caries in the primary teeth, i.e. caries in pits/fissures, proximal surfaces, smooth surfaces, and incisors. Forty-three percent of the children at grade 6 showed this pattern in permanent teeth. In Romanian schoolchildren the present level and pattern of dental caries are most severe and the implementation of oral health promotion and prevention at the community level is urgently needed.

Evaluation of a dental public health program for old-age pensioners in Denmark.

A high priority is given to improvements in the oral health of the elderly in Scandinavia. In 1987 a Danish municipality established a dental public health care program for old-age pensioners. All 67-year-old citizens were offered school-based preventive and curative care using guidelines and principles established by the Danish Municipal Dental Service for children. Care was provided free of charge. Citizens not wishing to obtain care through the public system could do so from private dental practitioners. Reimbursement for care obtained from the private system was provided by the National Health Insurance and the municipality. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the outcome of the program after three years of operation. A follow-up design was used and data were collected by interviews and clinical registrations. At baseline and follow-up 216 (71%) and 235 (77%) pensioners, respectively, were interviewed about their self-assessments of dental health, dental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Clinical data were collected only for the elderly who participated in the public program, and included 194 persons at baseline and 187 at follow-up. These data included information on tooth loss, dental caries, periodontal health, and presence and function of removable dentures. At the follow-up, 86 percent of all respondents had regular dental visits of at least once a year compared to 46 percent at baseline; 75 percent participated in the public program and 11 percent obtained care from private practitioners. At the end of the intervention period, fewer elderly reported symptoms of poor oral health or impaired function of dentures.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)