"Portugal must be of the few European countries that do not have a department of oral health in the Ministry of Health." The observation of the doctor dentist Paulo Melo shows has also been a challenge. And the consequence of that statement is the absence of a national strategy for the oral health of the Portuguese.
The national policy - also continued the professor in the School of Dental Medicine, University of Porto - "never bother with the oral health of the Portuguese and never had the desire to go replacing the stomatologists that would be reforming for dental practitioners in health centers ". More a situation that has consequences and they "are there for all to see."
It would not be necessary to OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) said that Portugal is in the tail of Europe at this level, because "those who walk in the street can realize the number of people without teeth." This is a undeniable reality, representing "an embarrassment, that politicians insist on ignoring."
Paulo Melo regrets a situation that - guarantees - "is not only worse by Portugal have the best dental practitioners in Europe."
"Embarrassing" is also the adjective used by the president of the Portuguese Dental Association (OMD), who, describing himself as "naive", is to be deposited in hopes of Oral Health Commission that the current government has established to assess the situation. At the end of May should be known conclusions.
Orlando Monteiro did not hide it expects "the conclusions are the obvious ...." And the obvious is the poor state of the mouths of Portuguese and need for the creation of means of access to consultations under the National Health Service, the poorest people. This public access to oral health is a battle of former OMD, which the president has given voice and which is striving. For now - though skeptical about the commissions in general - expected to see. But not for nothing.
And, drawing on the restructuring of health services, Orlando Monteiro has tried, particularly in the health units for the family (USF), responsible for raising the awareness of the need for this specialty be introduced in health centers and hospitals. This indicates responsible criticism, but also makes proposals. For example, Orlando Monteiro does not consider how best to open dental clinics in all health centers in the country at large investment that implies, advocates the creation of conventions and protocols between those establishments and private offices that exist within the geographical area which include the establishment, "taking advantage of that investment in infrastructure has been done by the private sector."
Recognizing that the Health Minister Correia de Campos, has shown "sensitivity in this area and will at least consider what might be done," the president of doctors dentists expected to be passed to practice the goodwill that has been demonstrated. And if that strengthened the National Health Plan is fulfilled, then by 2010 the hospitals must be equipped with this expertise, to respond to emergencies and emergencies that can not currently be treated. In situations of accident there is no response in emergencies.
In case of emergency be for the pain - "one of the strongest that the human body feels," pointed out - "at best is prescribed a painkiller." The expert is to ask point-blank: "We must act politically." And knowing that "it is impossible that everyone has everything, it is essential to do everything possible so that everyone has the best possible".
And, despite being short of the needs of society, the creation of a program of prevention and treatment, aimed at children from three to 16 years has been seen as positive by the president: "Despite still inaccessible to most children," even within this age group.
Even though for most people can be difficult to understand or even indifferent, the expert Paulo Melo wanted to separate the wheat from the chaff and highlighted the differences between various types of professionals who treat oral cavity of the Portuguese.
"There are three," he said. The stomatologists, trained in medicine, specializing in Stomatology and scope only differs from doctor dentist in access to the areas neighboring the oral cavity, where the can Stomatologist act. Doctors dentists with a course of six years (soon reduced to five seconds Bologna), have during the early years of medicine and general concepts of late training following a path itself. Its scope for action is broad, but includes only those structures that relate to the oral cavity.
There are also the dentist, who "have long exercised the function illegally, many had not even the basic training," and who have since been legalized by the Portuguese after they were given a few hours of training. Its scope for action is very narrow and is unable to perform more complex surgeries, prostheses and orthodontic fixed.
To complicate all this, the doctor assured dentist and lecturer at the Faculty of Dental Medicine, University of Porto, "the terminology adopted in various countries differ from ours, so that European professionals with the same name are the formations and areas of action completely different" . Paulo Melo also noted a fourth class of professionals who are the oral hygienists, more oriented to prevention "and should exercise the profession supervise by a medical doctor or dentist."
No comments:
Post a Comment