Public health

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School Dental Health Programs
A comprehensive school health program is a set of planned, sequential, school-
strategies, activities, and services designed to promote the optimal physical, emotional,

social, and educational development of students . It based on community needs,

resources, standards and requirements.

The purpose of School Health Program:

1. To promote health and wellness.
2. To prevent specific diseases, disorders and injury.
3. To intervene to assist children who are in need or at risk.
4. To help support those who are already experiencing poor health.

School dental survey

A dental survey is the most effective way of determining the oral health condition and
over all needs of school children. It can provide a basis for developing a sound oral health
program and for evaluating future achievements. The survey should be made by those
who are to be responsible for the program, the dental hygienist, the supervising dentist,
school health council part of dental health education program.

Guidelines for an ideal school dental program.

A comprehensive school dental program should:
1. Be available to all children.

2. Be feasible.

3. Provide facts about dental health and dental care focusing mainly on self-care
preventive procedures.

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 4. Help in the development of positive attitude towards dental health.

5. Provide an environment for development of skills and technique necessary for

maintenance of oral hygiene for example tooth brushing and flossing.

6. Include primary preventive dentistry procedures e.g. prophylaxis, pit and fissure
sealants, topical fluoride application.

7. Have screening program for early identification, referral and treatment of identified
lesions.

Phases in school oral health program: A school health program should

include:

1. Dental screening: Dental screening is detecting early dental or oral health

problems. Screening is not a replacement for a complete examination in a dentist’s
office. However, dental screening is an important component of an oral health program
and an important element of a school health program. The screening should look for the
presence of dental caries, periodontal disease, malocclusion and trauma.

2. Dental Health Education: The schools can promote good oral health and
prevent oral problems by educating students and parents. Oral health education should
focus on:

• Prevention of decay through proper methods of oral hygiene (e.g. brushing, flossing).

• Use of fluoride or fluoridated water.

• Good nutrition including restricting candy and soft drinks.

3. Referrals and follow-up care: All children complaining of oral pain, with
obvious dental caries, or mild gum disease should be referred to their dentist for a more
complete examination. Every attempt should be made by school health personnel to
work with parents, encouraging follow-up care with the dentist and getting feedback on

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any changes that the dentist recommends, in order for school personnel to make the
appropriate educational adjustments.

School based preventive program include:

School Fluoride Mouth Rinsing Program
Fluoride mouth rinsing program are advised for grades 1 to 12 but not below as many
younger children cannot master the technique of swishing without swallowing. For
kindergarten children plain water can be used as an educational program. A once-a-
week mouth rinse can result in an approximate 20 to 40 percent reduction in dental

caries.

School Fluoride Tablet Program

Fluoride tablet programs are easier to carry out in school classroom. Every student is
given one 2.2 mg sodium fluoride (1 mg fluoride) tablet which is chewed, swished
around the mouth for 1 minute and then swallowed. This swish- and - swallow
technique provides the benefits of a topical application (as with mouth rinse) and also
provides optimum systemic benefit during the period of tooth development.

Classroom Tooth Brushing

The daily brushing of teeth in classroom may be an ideal method of plaque control but
it is an impractical reality. Tooth brushing using a fluoride dentifrice is beneficial in
reducing caries incidence rather than tooth brushing alone. The concentration of
fluoride used in dentifrice range from (525-1450 ppm). 2-3-year-old children usually
ingest majority of dentifrice during brushing. Hence dentifrice containing less amount
of fluoride should be prescribed to a preschooler (a small pea sized amount of paste
with low concentration of fluoride (contain 0.5 mg of fluoride in each pea size
dentifrices).

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 School water fluoridation
School water fluoridation is recommended only if the students are coming from the
areas which have low fluoride content. The recommended concentration for school
water fluoridation program is 4.5 ppm. Studies have shown approximately 40%
reduction in dental caries due to school water fluoridation.

Topical fluoride application program

Children accessing the dental services via school programs can be provided with
topical fluoride according to the needs of the individual child. Target those children
with new smooth-surface caries, a history of high caries, or handicapped conditions for
APF topical procedures.

School based sealant program

Dental sealants are thin plastic coatings material that are painted into the deep grooves
of teeth. They help by preventing dental decay by sealing grooves that are most likely
to decay. School sealant programs are usually conducted by dental hygienists given in.
The placement procedure for the sealants is rapid, painless and highly effective in
protecting the occlusal pits and fissures.