Oral Health and Dental Management

Abstract

School-based dental health considerations for program development

School-based oral health programs give children a chance to experience optimal oral health, but
developing relevant programs that address the need of today's children is a complex task. Schoolbased
oral health preventive programs that are designed to help children must be relevant and offer
interventions based on current research findings.
Treatment is not the answer to solving children's oral health problems; instead, prevention is the
key. Schools have been and will continue to be an important environment for the dissemination of
disease prevention information. Because the classroom maximizes the number of children reached
simultaneously, school-based education, health promotion, and preventive efforts are efficient.
School serves as an institution that supports the adoption and practice of behaviors deemed desirable
by society. In the school, students are also prepared to assume responsible roles as future parents
and community leaders.
The year 2010 objectives help provide a focus for relevant and comprehensive school-based oral
health programs.
This presentation summarizes current directions in school-based dental health. Recommendations
and proposed strategies were obtained through personal interviews, published research, oral health
conferences, personal observation of school-based dental centers and educational institutions. The
presentation is intended to serve as guidance, based on best available information, for successful
school-based dental health program development. This information is presented with the understanding
that the oral health needs of children and adolescents are locality specific and will require
flexibility in program design and implementation. We hope that you will find the following information
useful for presenting dental health issues to partners in your community.