Questão 8 - IDOMED Medicina 2022/1

School-based cavity prevention program reduces health disparities and brings dental care to children

 

(1.º§)    A school-based cavity prevention program involving nearly 7,000 elementary school students reduced cavities by more than 50 percent, according to a study led by researchers at NYU College of Dentistry. The study was conducted in 33 public, high-need elementary schools in Massachusetts, where dental hygienists provided care to 6,927 children. The services were provided at no cost to families.

(2.º§)    Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease in children, and one in five elementary school children have at least one untreated cavity. While cavities can be prevented with dental visits and good at-home oral hygiene, some families experience barriers to seeing a dentist, including cost and parents having to take time off of work. "School-based cavity prevention programs eliminate these barriers by bringing basic dental care to children, rather than bringing children to care," said Niederman.

(3.º§)    "In 2010, the federal government set a goal of reducing the prevalence of cavities in children by 10 percent by 2020. Our study shows that this is not only feasible, but also that a comprehensive school-based program can reduce cavities by five times their goal," said Niederman.

(4.º§)    The widespread implementation of oral health programs in schools could increase the reach of traditional dental practices and improve children's oral health – all while reducing health disparities and the cost of care.", says Richard Niederman, DMD, Professor and Chair of the Department of Epidemiology & Health Promotion at NYU College of Dentistry and the study's senior author.

(5.º§)    The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted most school-based dental care because of school closures and fear of creating aerosols, even as oral health care in dental practices has safely resumed with additional infection control measures in place. The researchers stress the importance of safely continuing school-based care, given its ability to prevent cavities using aerosol-free procedures.

Adapted from News-Medical. Available at: https://www.news-medical.net. Accessed 17 September 2021.

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