A cross sectional study of the prevalence of the decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) was conducted in 8 rural mountain villages of the Dominican Republic as part of a project to improve oral health. A visual-only screening of a non-probability, convenience sampling (N=576) was performed. The study was integrated into the primary care delivery system of the University of Southern Maine Health and Nursing Outreach Program. The overall DMFT score was 8.75 teeth per person. The scores in the villages ranged from 5.73 to 11.18. The ANOVA test for variation in the age distribution between villages indicated no significant difference. Missing teeth represented 60% of the score, decayed teeth 35% and filled 5%. Overall dental needs including periodontal disease was scored on a severity scale from 1 (no needs) to 4. Unmet dental needs (score 2 to 4) occurred in 87%. Sampling of the drinking water in each of the villages revealed a variation from .07 to .25 ppm of fluoride, which was in the inverse direction of the variation of the DMFT scores in the villages. Participants received oral health education along with a toothbrush plus emergency care of infection by the medical teams. Integratng oral health programs into primary care is an effective and efficient means to reach rural villages with limited resources. This model enhances collaboration of the interdiciplanary training programs and transcultural partnerships.
Learning Objectives: Describe a procedure for a dental needs assessment through collaboration with transcultural primary care delivery and apply the findings for program planning
Keywords: Oral Health Needs, Community-Based Partnership
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.