NHS without dentists - About 90% of health centres of the National Health Service (NHS) have no dentist or provide consultations for oral health. In the few who have dental, consultations are targeted almost exclusively to children, only carried out on average once a week and, hence, have waiting lists, rising to three years. Who needs to treat the teeth is not even no choice but to pay a medical consultation in particular.
These are only some of the "dramatic" results of a survey done by the Order of Dentists in recent months to a broad sample of health establishments belonging to the public network. "The oral health is fully geared excluded health in Portugal ', commented in this regard the President of Dentists, Orlando Monteiro da Silva. 'And this means that, for economic reasons, much of the population is, quite simply, access to oral health care, "he added.
The survey covered more than 400 establishments of the NHS, spread across the country, with the majority of health centres. Of the more than 70 hospitals questioned on the provision of oral health, only 30% said they had dentists.
On the other hand, and the second shows the study, only 7% of health centres which have no dentist who is heading the sick to hospital. The problem is that access to these, as the other consultations, hospital specialty, is never directly - always implying a referral made by the family doctor.
If this routing is done by the family doctor, patients are forced to rely on the emergency. But the more likely it is to give the guy at the door. According to the Order, over 80% of hospitals that dentists have at your service admitted that no urgency to make oral health. "Patients have no alternatives, or to treat any conditions of its mouth", stressed the president.
As for health centres, the study says that 90% have no dentists, and that those who provide this consultation, there comes the waiting lists, for three years. This is because in most 10% of centres with consultation from dentists' is only accepted one marking a week. And if it is the small group of health centres with dentist, is non existent in the provision of emergency oral health, 'which is a factor of great concern "- says the Order. 'If users have a serious problem can not even go to a permanent telephone hotline (SAP), the study adds.
In health centres where there are dentists, patients are mostly (92%) referred to private doctors. But the latter, as Orlando Monteiro da Silva, has access only those who can pay.
Help from 55 escudos (23 cents) - The lifting of the Order shows are other disturbing data. For example, which in Alentejo and Algarve was only found one dentist to work in public health services and that Lisbon, despite the public offer be greater, is one of the poorest regions of the country in this specialty.
The Ministry of Health has already responded favourably to some of the proposals of the Order to solve this problem, notably through an expansion of agreements with private dentists. Until now, however, the process has not passed the plan of intentions.
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This text says almost everything on the relidade of oral health in the NHS in Portugal. Today, the situation has changed little. For more to say and if one thousand invent excuses, what is clear is that almost everything remains to be done in Portugal, when it comes to oral health.
Gerofil
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