DENTAL PUBLIC

HEALTH
P R E S E N T E D B Y D R R A N D A YO U S S E F
L E C T U R E R O F P E D O D O N T I C S & D E N TA L
P U B L I C H E A LT H
CARIRO UNIVERSITY
DENTAL PUBLIC HEALTH

• Dental public health was defined by the ADA as the

science and art of preventing dental diseases and
promoting dental health through organized
community efforts, i.e. it serves the community, as a
patient rather than the individual.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
1. It must be done in areas where group responsibility is recognized.
2. Public health methods depend on team work; this is due partly to
the necessity of efficient handling of large groups of people and
partly that many processes involved in prevention are better
applied through team work.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH:

host Population

Environment
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH:

4. Prevention
is considered a major objective of public health
programs. This is because:
a. Prevention of a disease is greater good in life than its cure.
b. Prevention can be better performed on mass population through
public health.
c. Prevention is cheaper than cure.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PUBLIC HEALTH:
5.Public health methods must depend on biostatistics, which helps
in arithmetic measurements of a disease in large population.

6.Public health deals with healthy and apparently healthy as well as

with diseased people.

7. Health Education and adaptation of public health programs to

the community.
PREVENTIVE DENTISTRY

• It is a philosophy of dentistry. It
comprises the various procedures
used by dentists, dental hygienists,
physicians, nurses, teachers, and
others to develop scientific oral
health knowledge and habits.
LEVELS OF PREVENTION
Primary

Secondary

Tertiary
Community

Patient

Dentist
 LEVELS OF PREVENTION

Period of Prepathogenesis Period of Pathogenesis

Primary level of Prevention Secondary Tertiary level of Prevention
level of
prevention
Health Specific Early Disability Rehabilitatio
promotion protection Diagnosis and Limitation n
prompt
treatment
Dental Caries
PRIMARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION

Primary level of Prevention

Health promotion Specific protection

PRIMARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION
Health promotion
- Health education in oral hygiene.
- Good standard of nutrition.
- Diet planning.
- Periodic inspection.
PRIMARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION
Specific protection
- Good oral hygiene.
- Fluoridation of public water supplies.
- Topical fluoride application.
- Avoidance of sticky foods, particularly between meals.
- Tooth brushing after eating.
- Dental prophylaxis.
- Treatment of highly susceptible areas.
- Preventive orthodontics.
SECONDARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION

Secondary level of prevention

Early Diagnosis and prompt
treatment
SECONDARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION

Early Diagnosis and prompt treatment

- Periodic detailed oral examination with x-ray.
- treatment of incipient lesions.
- Extension for prevention.
- Attention to developmental defects.
- Compulsory examination of school children.
TERTIARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION

Tertiary level of Prevention

Disability Limitation Rehabilitation

TERTIARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION
Disability Limitation
- Treatment of well developed
lesions.
- Pulp capping.
- Root canal therapy.
- Extraction.
- Orthodontic treatment.
TERTIARY LEVEL OF PREVENTION

Rehabilitation
- Replacement of lost tooth structure by
appliances (bridges, partial dentures,
implants…)
•Question Time