Abstract
Aims: Dental caries is a highly prevalent and preventable disease that affects virtually the entire Peruvian population. This disease has become a public health issue. It constitutes a major problem for the Peruvian government due to budget regulations, and health related inequalities, which allows only a privileged few access to proper dental care. The aim of this abstract is to report a short-term oral health promotion project for a rural community in Peru.
Methods: This project was implemented in November 2015 in Porcon, a rural community, with one preschool, one primary and one secondary school. The children’s parents gave written consent before the clinical evaluation and preventive treatment. Ethics approval was given by the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences. All the children of the three schools were invited to take part. The activities included assessing the history of dental caries (dmft/DMFT index) by one of nine calibrated examiners, providing education in oral health, and focusing on preventive care for children (fluoride varnish application, prophylaxis and glass ionomer sealants). This model is based on the premise that children in preschools, primary and secondary schools spend most of their walking hours in the institution; allowing for the assessment of the severity of the disease, risk factors, and harmful habits.
Results: Three hundred and twenty five children (82%) of those on the schools registers took part. Those who did not take part were either absent on the days that the schools were visited or their parents did not give consent. Oral health education sessions were given to all the children before the clinical assessment. The age of the children in preschool (n=46) ranged from 3 to 5 years, with a mean dmft of 6.28; the age of elementary school children (n=122) ranged from 6 to 12 years, with a mean dmft of 4.8 and DMFT of 1.54; and the age children in secondary (n=157) school ranged from 13 to 17 years with a mean DMFT of 4.96. The preventive treatments delivered were 166 fluoride varnish applications, 103 prophylaxis and 40 glass ionomer sealants. The parents and teachers attended a session on oral hygiene and eating habits.
Conclusion: This programme fosters an opportunity for integrated approach to health care, and is the first step in reducing health inequalities in rural communities in Peru.
The presenter of this abstract (3496) received a Borrow Travel Award
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