Key+Issues+H.educ

Key Issues
in
Oral Health Education
WATER FLU0RIDATION
 The appropriate use of fluorides is the best method available to prevent the
onset of dental caries. Interventions that used fluoride have been successful in
preventing dental caries, averting pain and discomfort, and saving money.
Water fluoridation serves as the cornerstone for community oral disease
prevention and is the most cost-effective method to provide protection against
dental caries for people of all ages. As stated in the Surgeon General's Report
on Oral Health in America: "Community water fluoridation is an effective, safe
and ideal public health measure that benefits individuals of all ages and
socioeconomic. It is a challenge for all health care providers to reach the entire
population with preventive interventions at the community level. Oral health
educational efforts are needed to continue to inform community residents and
legislators about the beneficial effects of fluoridation.
ORAL SELF-CARE BEHAVIORS
 Oral self-care behaviors by individuals are still not
at recommended levels. Educational efforts aimed
at individuals and communities are still needed to
increase the prevalence of such behaviors to
improve their oral health status. Research is
necessary to assess proposed theoretic models
promoting oral self-care behaviors to determine if
they are evidence based and appropriate for broad
application.
ORAL SCREENING AND RISK
FACTORS FOR ORAL CANCER
 To reduce mortality rates from, and increase early detection of, oral cancers in
accordance with the Healthy People 2010 initiative, oral care providers should
ask patients about lifestyles and risk-taking behaviors and conduct screening
examinations for oral cancer. Resources are available to assist health
professionals in improving the health of their patients and students by
implementing smoking and tobacco education, prevention, and cessation
programs in their practices and in the school curriculum.
 Oral health education efforts by dental care practitioners, other health care
professionals of all types, classroom teachers, and community health
educators can help decrease these trends by emphasizing how tobacco causes
oral disease and many physical health problems. Children learn by what they
see and how they live. Parents, caregivers, and health professionals who
maintain healthy, tobacco-free lifestyles set an example that youngsters may
choose to follow despite peer pressure to do otherwise.
EARLY CHILDHOOD CARIES
 Early childhood caries (sometimes referred to as

nursing or baby-bottle caries) is a growing problem.
Oral health education efforts must be targeted to a
wide range of the population, pediatric and family
practice physicians, pediatric nurse practitioners,
nurses, physician’s assistants, parents, and
caregivers so that a broad-based understanding of
the causes, effects, and methods of preventing this
devastating condition can be effectively
communicated.
ORAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF
ANOREXlA NERVOSA AND
BULIMIA
 The oral health effects of anorexia nervosa and bulimia may assist in the
clinical diagnosis of these disorders. Health care professionals need to be
aware of the oral manifestations so that they can make appropriate
referrals for dental treatment. These are serious psychologic disorders
that may lead to death as a result of physical complications or suicide.
 Dental professionals may play a significant role in identifying patients
with eating disorders on the basis of specific oral symptoms (enamel
erosion, caries, periodontal disease, and changes in the oral mucosa [i.e.,
contusions or lacerations of the soft palate associated with induced
vomiting], dehydration, erythema, angular cheilitis, and swollen salivary
gland^). It is the responsibility of dental professionals to be familiar with
the diagnostic criteria for eating disorders. Providing appropriate
treatment in a supportive environment, information, and referrals for
psychologic and medical help and follow-up could save a life.
ORAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF HUMAN
IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS/ACQUIRED
IMMUNODEFICIENCY SYNDROME
 The oral health effects of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired
immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) need to be recognized and addressed by
health care professionals. Oral health educators should play a part in
communicating information about the effects of the disease on oral health.
Dental professionals, especially dental hygienists, should be familiar with the
primary manifestations of HIV and AIDS: candidiasis (thrush), hairy
leukoplakia, recurrent aphthous ulcers and herpetic lesions, Kaposi's
sarcoma, linear gingival erythema (formerly HIV-G), and HIV periodontitis.
The initial diagnosis of AIDS or HIV may be made on the basis of oral lesions
and symptoms. Although there is no documentation of HIV transmission from
patient to dental care providers or from patient to patient, providers struggle
with fears of HIV transmission. Ideally, the hygienist and the dentist are
members of a comprehensive care team working closely with the patient's
physician in the medical and support group caring for people with AIDS
CULTURAL ISSUES INHERENT IN
ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION
 Because oral health education must take place

within a cultural context, sensitivity to cultural
issues may increase the efficacy of such efforts.
Oral self-care practices, attitudes and knowledge
vary across cultural groups, and these differences
are important to understand before educational
interventions are designed. An important thing to
recognize is that socioeconomic status is
frequently intertwined with racial and cultural
factors
ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR
OLDER ADULTS
 The importance of preventive oral self-care behaviors

may increase in later life with the advent of age-
related comorbidities or medication usage that affects
oral health (causing, for example, xerostomia and root
caries). The maintenance or preservation of oral health
may therefore be more important in late life than at
any other life stage. Thus the promotion of oral self-
care behaviors and the assurance of their performance
by elders are key issues in gerontologic health and
must be addressed by oral health educators.
ORAL HEALTH EDUCATION FOR
SPECIAL NEEDS POPULATIONS
 Many people in this segment of the population continue to experience
difficulty in accessing dental services. For many, the attainment of
adequate oral hygiene is difficult or impossible unless a caregiver is
available to assist in daily care for the prevention of oral disease,
especially among individuals with mild mental retardation who may
lack adequate supervision. Preventive methods are available to meet
the unique requirements of the person with special needs and may
include the use of adaptive aids and chemotherapeutic agents that
eliminate or control microbial organisms associated with caries,
gingivitis, and periodontal and other oral diseases. These measures
are particularly suited for persons for whom the usual mechanical
hygiene procedures of brushing and flossing present difficulties. The
oral health care of special patients is intimately linked with medicine
and the larger health care delivery system. Appropriate oral care is an
integral part of maintaining the health and well-being of people with
disabilities
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
IDENTlFICATlON AND REFERRAL
 Dental professionals have an ethical duty to learn to

recognize evidence of domestic violence or sexual
assault. It is also important to be aware of the
possibility of child or elder abuse. When abuse is
suspected, skills in counseling and referral are
necessary. For dental care providers to obtain such
skills, there is a need to expand the educational
curricula and continuing education to include
strategies for dental professionals to address issues
of family violence.

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Key Issues

 Early childhood caries (sometimes referred to as

 Because oral health education must take place

 The importance of preventive oral self-care behaviors

 Dental professionals have an ethical duty to learn to

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