Written Answers. - School Dental Service.
Liam Lawlor
Question:
183
Mr. Lawlor
asked the
Minister for Health
when a comprehensive dental education scheme for primary schools to counteract the damage to young children's teeth, caused by consumption of sweets and soft drinks, will be brought forward.
All health boards provide a school dental service for children attending national school. A number of health boards are changing or have already changed from a demand based service to a planned systematic service. Under the planned systematic service the need for dental treatment in national school children is identified through school screening and treatment is offered, based not on demand, but on need. Changes in the patterns of disease and the emergence of new technology mean that greater improvements in oral health can be achieved by targeting the service at specific age groups.
Where the changeover has fully taken place children will be examined on an incremental basis in school classes and provided with comprehensive dental education, preventive (fissure sealing) and treatment services as necessary.
It is hoped that, in this way, children for whom a service was previously rarely, if ever, demanded — often those in lower socio-economic groups and those in greatest need of dental care — will be screened, advised of the services available, educated in dental hygiene and referred for care as necessary. This is a welcome development in the Children's Dental Service as it seeks to provide the optimum service to those in need.
Dental Education Programmes
In addition to the health board school dental services my Department, through its Health Promotion Unit, is engaged in a wide range of preventive strategies which aim to address the problem of dental damage caused by the consumption of sweets and soft drinks during childhood.
Ideally, dental health education programmes should form part of a comprehensive health education programme. An example of this approach is the "Bí folláin" programme piloted in the Mid-Western Health Board region during 1991 and 1992 which will become ready for wider dissemination in June 1992.
The Irish Dental Health Foundation (IDHF) whose administration costs are funded by my Department runs programmes throughout the year in primary schools, targeting five-year-olds, seven to eight-year-olds and nine to 12-year-olds with an approach relevant to each age group.
Examples of specific IDHF pilot projects currently being funded or supported by my Department include
(a) Co-ordination of National Schools Dental Health Education Programmes.
The 30 principal dental health officers who manage dental services have nominated a member of their staff to act as liaison/co-ordinator with the IDHF, with responsibility for dissemination of dental education materials to all schools. A one day workshop to initiate this approach will take place in September. All co-ordinators will be supplied with a referenceCo-ordinator's Guide which will be jointly developed by the Health Promotion Unit and the IDHF.
(b) Mighty Mouth — A programme for disadvantaged children.
This involves 1,000 five-year-old children in designated disadvantaged areas of Dublin. The programme aims to test dental awareness education materials which have been specially designed for use with children from these areas. It will be implemented in the above areas using the framework of the school/home/ community liaison co-ordinators national programme.
(c) Kilkenny Health Project.
As part of this project which looked at the role of nutrition in the prevention of heart disease a local dental co-ordinator worked with schools highlighting the need to reduce consumption of sugar based foods, in the fight against tooth decay and general ill-health.
(d) Pearly White — Dick Gumshoe
The Health Promotion Unit and Dental Services of my Department, in association with the Irish Cancer Society, IDHF and dental officers in the health boards are in the process of developing materials for use in primary level schools, which will complement any programmes already being developed. This programme addresses the problems caused by smoking, not just to teeth but to general health, while simultaneously reinforcing the "cut down on sweets" message. It will be launched in mid 1992 in all first level schools.
The above initiatives outline the range of activities being conducted to address dental education at primary school level. During 1992 a framework which will oversee the development, dissemination and evaluation of dental health programmes and other school materials will be established by a working group representing the community dental services, the Health Promotion Unit and the IDHF. This, together with wider implementation of school-based programmes currently operating on a pilot basis (following evaluation of same) will help counteract the damage to childrens' teeth and to general health caused by the over-consumption of sugar based sweets and soft drinks.
