Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

FDI WorlDental Daily 29 Aug

News Thursday, 29 August 2013 T he FDI World Dental Federation islaunchingitsObservatoryfor Oral Health Prevention and Control today at the Annual World Dental Congress in Istanbul. In- spired by the format of the European Global Oral Health Indicators Devel- opmentprojectinEuropeandtheBe- havioral Risk Factor Surveillance SystemoftheUSCentersforDisease Control and Prevention, the pilot projectissettobegininJanuarynext year and will see the organisation distributing tablets to selected den- tists worldwide containing a series of questions for their patients. They will have a sociological and medical core, dealing with oral hy- giene habits, understanding of oral hygiene, behaviour, nutrition and a number of others, with a focus on the state of patients’ oral health. The An- droid-based tool also contains ques- tionsforthedentiststhemselvescon- cerningclinicaldata,suchasthenum- ber of natural teeth, periodontal sta- tus and cancerous lesions. In a world awash with data and in- formation, what prompted the FDI to launch this initiative? FDI President Dr Orlando Monteiro da Silva responded tothisquestion:“Thereisalotofavail- able data on oral health, including in ourownOralHealthAtlas,buttheques- tioniswhatdoesthatdatatellus?”. “The World Health Organization seeks to monitor trends and determi- nants in the field of noncommunica- blediseasesandevaluateprogressin their prevention and control. Our work with them on oral health has made it clear that the current data cannotanticipateinadynamicwayfu- turechallengesfortheprofessionand public that readily translate into indi- cators and targets. It therefore has limitedvaluefornationaldentalasso- ciations and oral health policy mak- ers. We have to rethink and move quickly. That is what we are doing now.” The FDI Observatory for Oral Health Prevention and Control pro- grammeisoneoftwoitemsidentified from FDI Vision 2020 for immediate implementation. The other is intra- and interprofessional collaborative practice as a means of better inte- gratingdentalmedicineintothemed- ical community for the benefit of pa- tients. FDI Vision 2020 maps the threats and opportunities facing oral health and oral health care in the coming decade in five key areas: meeting the increasing need and demand for oral health care, expanding the role of ex- isting oral health care professionals, shaping a responsive educational model, mitigating the impacts of so- cio-economic dynamics, and foster- ing fundamental and translational research and technology. It was launched in September 2012 at the 100th AWDC in Hong Kong. Organised by: In partnership with: THANKYOU! WOHD’13:37 Countries,5 Continents,1Day http://www.fdiworldental.org/wohd2013 AD T housands of mothers in Mo- rocco and Egypt are learning howtoencouragetheirchildren to adopt good toothbrushing habits for life, as part of the Live. Learn.Laugh. (LLL) partnerships be- tween the countries’national dental associations and Unilever Oral Care brand Signal. In Morocco, the partnership be- tween the Association Marocaine de Prévention Bucco-Dentaire and Sig- nalaimstoimproveknowledgeoforal health among pregnant women and emphasisethatitisimportantforpar- ents to take their children to the den- tist regularly, so that parents act as role models and teach their children about the importance of a good oral care routine at an early age. To en- courage them to think about oral health,parentsareaskedtocomplete the dental section of their children’s health record, which motivates par- ents to take their children to the den- tist regularly for their record to be re- viewed. “One of the highlights of our LLL partnership this year was the activi- tieswearrangedforWorldOralHealth DayonMarch20th .Weorganisededu- cational games and activities for chil- dren where they learned how to care for their teeth and avoid caries, and about the relationship between a healthy mouth and a healthy body,” DrNabilaAlami,LLLprojectcoordina- tor in Morocco, said. “The project is having a great impact: our partici- pantsareveryinterestedinimproving their oral health and we have been successful in encouraging good oral care habits like twice daily tooth- brushing. LLLprovides a great oppor- tunity to advance oral health in Mo- rocco, especially in reducing caries in young children.” The Egyptian partnership, be- tween the Egyptian Society for Pedi- atric Dentistry and Children with Spe- cial Needs and Signal, aims to make brushing twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste a habit through oral care educational programmes led by school teachers. Project leaders met with and trained teachers in oral health education, explaining the de- tailsoftheprojectanddemonstrating an effective brushing technique with the aid of posters, videos and book- lets. A free toothbrush and tooth- pastearegiventoallparticipantsdur- ing meetings with parents, and local dentists provide free check-ups to treat existing problems, with follow- up appointments to evaluate the suc- cess of the programme. RemembertovisittheLLLpartner- ship stand on Level 2 to find out more about their oral health improvement projects taking place around the world. Reachingyoungmothers withoralhealtheducation I(DTI/PhotoMelissaBrown) I(DTI/PhotocourtesyofUnilever,UK) Live.Learn.Laugh.partnershipsinMoroccoandEgyptprogress 2 www.fdiworldental.org Pilotprojecttobegininearly2014 FDIlaunchesitsObservatory forOralHealthPreventionandControl