Dental Health

What We Do › Dental Health

“In our classes for 6-to 8-year-olds, nurses, physicians, and teachers work together to teach children brushing and flossing techniques, how many times a day they should brush, and when it is best to brush. We are also starting to work with even younger children, performing examinations, applying sealants, and providing instruction.”

Nina Melnichuk, head of the dental outpatient clinic treatment department at Central Medical Sanitary Unit No. 15 in Snezhinsk, Russia (Snezhinsk/Livermore partnership).

Although often overlooked as a key component of primary care, oral diseases are among the most common of all chronic ailments making dental health an important public health priority the world over. Poor oral health can have an impact on a person’s overall health and lead to systemic infections and even heart disease. According to WHO, oral health affects people physically and psychologically and influences how they grow, enjoy life, look, speak, chew, taste food and socialize, as well as their feelings of social wellbeing, yet few health systems are efficient enough to cope with the task of handling so pervasive a problem.

For people living in developing or transitioning countries, the oral health situation is grave. In some communities, upwards of 90 percent of all children between the ages of 6 and 8 have dental caries—a figure that is often reflected in the broader population.

AIHA’s dental health programs are carried out through our primary healthcare partnerships and encompass treatment for children and adults, community education on proper oral hygiene, and school-based prevention and screening programs targeting children.

Projects

AIHA’s efforts to improve the scope and availability of high-quality primary dental health services through specific programmatic activities include:

Dental Health Information Resources

Disseminating accurate, timely information rooted in evidence-based practices and sharing successful models and lessons learned plays an important role in AIHA's strategy for sustainable dental health programs.

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