259962 Developing process of Taiwan National Oral Health Surveillance System

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Yao Hui Huang, DDS, MDSc, FICD , School of Oral hygiene, Taipei Medical University, Taiwan, ROC, New Taipei City, Taiwan
Background: In spite of having well designed oral health care system and sufficient dental manpower in Taiwan, the oral health status of schoolchildren was still below the global goals of oral health set by WHO.

Objective: In order to monitor the oral health status of people in Taiwan, we started to build the Taiwan National Oral Health Surveillance System (T-NOHSS) with governmental grants from 2004.

Method: The Basic Screening Survey model of the ASTDD, USA was our primary reference. Some modifications which might reveal major local oral health concerns were added. Four developing phases, i.e. preparatory, trial, implementing, and evaluating phases, were included throughout the whole developing processes. Selecting proper oral health indicators for different age-groups, field test of the practicability, identification of four core values and development of a practical SOP manual were major objectives in each phase.

Findings: We found that T-NOHSS was practicable and suitable for collecting valuable population-based oral health data.

Key Conclusion: Although it was simple, fast, valid and efficient, T-NOHSS indicators were not designed to replace the conventional DMFT index, and the results from them are likely to be complimentary to each other.

Learning Areas:
Program planning
Public health administration or related administration
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Define the of characteristics of surveillance Describe oral health indicators for child of Basic Screening Survey Describe oral health indicators for adult of Basic Screening Survey List four core values of Taiwan National Oral Health Surveillance System

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been one of the co-leaders and organizers of govermental funded program on establishing the national oral health surveillance system.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 2085.0: Epidemiology of Oral Diseases and Oral Health Disparities