Week 11 PP Flashcards
Dental Public Health
Public Health is…
the organized effort of society to keep people healthy and prevent injury, illness and premature death. It is a combintion of programs, serivices, and policies that protect and promote the health of all Canadians.
*Tied to government department
What are some examples of Public Health?
Car safety - policy on seatbelts, car seats, etc.
Tobacco - education campaigns on hazards
Some of the core functions of public health agencies at all levels of the government are:
-assessment of health in populations
-evaluate disease in the population
-report on health problems
-policy ad program development to improvie health
-assurance of care
What is Dental Public Health
Is the science and art of preventing and controlling dental diseases and promoting oral health through organized community effords
What does a Dental Private Practice do?
-focuses on the individual patient
-medical and dental history
-clinical observation for disease
-treatment planning
-patient education
-treatment delivery
What does Dental Public Health do?
-focuses on communities or groups
-literature review - best practice research (history of the community)
-surveys (disease, risk factors, etc.)
-develop program and policy
-health promotion
-program and policy delivery
Canadian Dental Health Care System
-Dental Care operates as a private fee-for-profit service system
-employment based benefits
-secondary school based benefits
-out-of-pocket fees
-public dental insurance (Alberta Child Health Benefits or Canada Dental Care Plan -introduced by federal gov’t)
Dental Public Health Services*
What is Epidemiology?
The study of disease (the science that studies disease)
-What causes it?
-How frequently does it occur?
-How does it spread in a community?
-How can it be controlled?
-How can it be cured? (Can cavities be cured? They can be fixed… with filling)
What is Prevalence?
-How much of something / how widespread it is (25% of children have cavitities in a study on year)
-Measure of disease at a point in time
-Shows the magnitude of the disease
What is Incidence?
- How many new cases (there are now 30% of children who have cavities at a school the next year, the incidence (new number of students with cavities) is 5%)
-Measure of transition fron non-disease to disese
-Shows the risk of developing the disease
What are Determinants of Health?
The Public Health Agency of Canada lists 12 main determinants of health:
-Income and social status (can’t afford dental health care)
-Employment and working conditions
-Education & Literacy (ex: if first language is not english - may not understand)
-Childhood experiences (if parent does not know how to properly take care of oral health, this will be passed on to child)
-Physical environments
-Social supports and coping skills
-Healthy behaviours
-Access to health services
-Biology and genetic endowment
-Gender
-Culture
-Race/Racism
Epidemology Study: Observation > Hypothesis
Observe something, then make a Hypothesis.
-Evidence Pyramid (The top is…. Randomized controlled double blind studies and Systematic Reviews & Meta-analyses)
Others are..
-In vitro (test tube) research
-animal research
-ideas, editorials, opinions
-case reports
-case series
-case control studies
-cohort studies
What Dental Concerns does Epidemology study?
-Dental caries
-Periodontal Disease
-Inequities in health
-Access to care
Dental Preventive Health Programs
Community water fluoridation
Sealant program
supervised tooth brushing
fluoride varnish
fluoride gel
fluoride mouth rinses
Salt fluoridation
milk fluoridation
school water fluoridation
xylitol
.. etc.
Dental Public Health Decision Making
Who has the problem?
Prevalance and incidence of disease by population groups
What is the problem?
Disease risk factors in communites (determinants of health)
How is the problem solved?
Evidence based research
Key Oral Health Indicators - Dental Surveys
*Dental Surveys - a systematic collection of data (indices) on dental or oral health prevealnce and incidence in a population within a given geographical area
*Common indices for dental surveys:
-Caries prevalence DMFT/S indices (decayed/missing/filled teeth/sufaces) - lower case dmft/s used for primary dentition
-No decay experience
-Urgent dental needs
-Oral Hygiene/Plaque & Debris index
-Periodontal Index - bleeding and probing depths
-Dental Fluorosis
-Quality of life
Alberta’s Oral Health Action Plan
-Plan developed in 2010
-New version came out in 2016
-Newest version to come out sometime in 2025/2026
Vulnerable Populations in Canada
-individuals with low income
-young children in families with low income
-individuals with no employment-related dental insurance
-elderly living in LTC or with low income
-indigenous people
-refugees and immigrants
-individuals with disabilities
-people living in rural/remote areas
Creating Equity
Different than “Equality”
Equity is about helping people from where they are at
About leveling the playing field
providing access to those who need it
-identify populations
-direct/target services
-evidence based practice
-upstream initiatives
-multiple interventions
Oral Health Domains
Health Promition
Prevention Services
Treatment Services
Research & Serveillance
Health Promotion is..
Is any combination of educational, social and environmental actions beneficial to the health of the population
EX:
-reporting oral health indicators
-daily oral hygiene policy
-community water fluoridation
-oral health information
Policy and Health Care Provider Training Program to Support Older Adults Daily Mouth Care
-To standardize oral assessment for daily oral hygiene needs
- To provide training on oral hygiene to health care providers
- To promote oral health to patients living in Continuing Care Designated Living Options
-To prevent oral diseases resulting from poor oral hygiene
Where can you access Oral Health information?
Alberta Health Services website - www.ahs.ca/oralhealth
My Health Alberta - www.Myhealth.alberta.ca
Prevention Services
To proivde preventive initiatives focused on addressing oral health inequities
-Preschool Fluoride Varnish
-School Fluoride Varnish
-School Dental Sealants
-Senior’s Oral Health Care
Elements of Observations
General Health (child not feeling well)
Intraoral Contraindications (cold sore)
Obvious Cavitation
Urgent Oral Health Problems
Treatment Services
-Dental Public Health Clinics - going into schools, apart of the community in need
-Dental Outreach Program
Public Health Dental Clinics in Calgary
NE Dental Clinic & Sunridge Medical Gallery
Chuir Dental Clinic at Sheldon Chumir
Eligibility for Public Dental Clinics
-Alberta resident
-No dental insurance
-Low income
Dental Outreach Program - services provided
Exams/xrays
Preventive Perio
Restorative
Oral Surgery
Endodontics
Prosthodontics
Research & Surveillance
-water fluoridation review
-caries prevelance rates
-oral health dashboard
