427. PORTUGAL THE XXI CENTURY: The misery dragged 36 years after the implementation of democratic

In 2009, the solidarity of readers JN reached 19 families through the line Every man is my brother. The donations helped to significantly improve some of these lives.

Help - in most cases money - contributed, for example, less shy smiles, or for someone to read or walk down the street without tripping. There were lots of requests for oral health treatments, usually very expensive and out of the National Health System were also many requests for help to buy a pair of glasses.

Every week showered aid requests to the wording of JN and most of them have already arrived without any hope or expectation of response. For many, JN was the latter. This is the case of Mary, for example, which ran many dentists who have no hope and asked All Men support to pay for dental treatment of their child. Mary said to JN have been surprised that his letter had answer.

All cards are properly analyzed, and verified the accuracy of their content. After it is published and the generosity of the readers do the rest. This year - a donation in donation - rose to 19 households.

The same item won enough for a hundred Christmas baskets for needy families.

Jornal de Notícias

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If the Minister of Health, Director-General of Health, the Presidents of the Medical Association, the President of the Dental Association and the Minister of Education had the merit to live in the very same living conditions for six months, that the people portrayed in the news and sure enough they would have a performance of health policies in the country quite different from the trading floors that continue the seven winds.

Unfortunately, democracy and equality in the day that end there are elections.

426. Petition CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORAL HEALTH IN PORTUGAL

(Sign this petition here)

Internet address:

http://www.peticaopublica.com/PeticaoVer.aspx?pi=P2009N871

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To: Portugal - CONTRIBUTION TO THE ORAL HEALTH IN PORTUGAL (secular Suggestions on three topics for a national project covering Dentistry).

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I - MEDICINE IN DENTISTRY

NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

Someday the balm of science had to come to the wounds of the suffering people Miguel Torga (April 11, 1978). When Miguel Torga anticipated that the victory would prove to be the National Health Service, would not think that part of the anatomy would be mutilated in the planning of basic health care in Portugal.

While in November 1974 to be provided in grants to launch the foundations of the National Health Service (SNS in Portuguese language) to provide free and universal health care oral, 30 years later after the creation of the National Health Service, the Dentistry is a gap indefinitely postponed in the SNS.

Since, the importance of Oral Health in the overall balance of the human body and having established the importance of dentistry in conjunction with the various medical specialties, it is incomprehensible that the provision of oral health care is ignored in the model of the Portuguese National Health Service.

Whereas the current prime minister classifies the SNS as the great social achievement of modern democracy, the conditions are created to achieve this demand was the creation of a public health system. It is essential to sensitize the state to the inclusion of Oral Health in the SNS as it complies with the constitutional imperative.

Despite the advances and retreats on the concept of a public health service in Portugal is important to alert the person coordinating the study on the sustainability of the SNS - Jorge Simões - acknowledges that the only service where there is a universality in the SNS dentistry. Moreover, it admits that the amount wasted in the conventions should be applied in the care of Oral Health.

In counterpoint to this assessment we have the shocking realization that the Health Minister, Ana Jorge, confesses that she did not know how many accounts would cost to put dentists in all health centers. Becomes more embarrassing situation when the Ministry of Health says it is faster to make agreements with the private than creating a public oral health service. This carefree ignorance is the testimony that in thirty years was not a plan for structural integration of Dental Medicine in Health in Portugal.

Knowing the basics of argumentation that led António Arnaut to create the National Health Service is easy to show that no alternative (either a system of co-payments, is a system of opting out or a system of public-private partnerships) will reduce the charges the state nor the other hand improve the healthcare provided. As the Arnaut said, such partnerships are only of interest to investors because it guarantees them, in advance, pay a profit without any risk.

Thus, the current model check-dentist, is a missed opportunity where we can see not only a waste of exchequer, as the breach of the fundamental pillars of the National Health Service: their universality and gratuity.

Is it not that the report of the World Health Organization, 2007 states that the publicly funded oral health care system in Portugal is not comprehensive. A program that demeans prevention, which emphasizes the curative treatments, which disclaims intervention at school level and does not ensure universal protection, global, multidisciplinary, and planned can only be classed as incomprehensible!

António Arnaut as advocated in May 16, 1979 (date of the closing speech of the parliamentary debate of the National Health Service) a public health project must provide for the articulation with private institutions only in exceptional cases. Adding to the enormity of euros spent (almost) inconsequential in the initiative dental check and adding funds injected into subsystems and conventions could create a public dentistry without any disruption on the State Budget.

A system of public-private partnership should be considered only in areas adjacent / extreme situations where it is not feasible to provide dental or medical services when the responsiveness of the state is insufficient to ensure the integrity of the patient. Thus, as in many other medical disciplines, the National Health Service and private health institutions should exist without jeopardizing the freedom of patient choice, the universality of care or even the survival of each of these alternatives (as is found in all medical specialties in 30 years of National Health Service).

These general remarks it is inevitable considering that the National Health Service has not yet reached their motto while dentistry is not considered as an integral part. The dentists should be viewed as an investment rather than a cost.

Thus it is crucial:

- Change the lines of thought of the Order of Dentists who finds it easier and cheaper to articulate the private clinics than to create a National Health Service with Integrated Dental Medicine (RTP1 - June 16, 2009);

- Develop a national plan of action focusing on prevention intervention at school level;

- Integrating dentistry in all health centers, family health units and other public health institutions so that these structures could be provided all the basic treatments (preventive and curative) Oral Health;

- Include Dental Medicine in emergency services of all local council and district hospitals;

- Introduce the concept of peripherals to once every dentist graduates to ensure a comprehensive coverage of oral health care (but forgotten over the explicit wishes of the outgoing Secretary-General to establish an unpaid internship);

- Insert Dental Medicine in multidisciplinary teams of central hospitals so that we can respond effectively to all clinical cases complex and differentiated.

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II - BUILDING A CREDIBLE PROFESSION

FOUNDED IN PRACTICE

Leopard dies when leaves your skin. Man dies when it leaves its reputation (Chinese proverb). Between common sense has not always existed a positive association between dentistry and the qualities of integrity, credibility and professionalism. Are mainly cultural and historical reasons that lead to this conclusion: the guesswork who cared for years the oral health of populations, such as pain symptoms who lived with the daily routine, never contributed to building the consideration that deserves Dentistry.

However, the class of dentists also has its share of responsibility in the lack of social appreciation of his work. It is for the dentist himself fighting for his credibility in the overall provision of health care. The respect of a letter should begin the exercise by themselves.

So are dentists who should develop their manual of good practices and demand, through the structures created for this purpose, the ethics and codes are applied in everyday clinical practice. Any profession organized in a cooperative has the duty to criticize the bad practice. Thus, in addition to a professional code of points in a broad sense, it is essential to create lines of concrete and explicit conduct for the various professionals.

Thus it is imperative to create a manual of best practices and structuring teams, so qualified and independent, oversee the conduct of dentists. Within this guide to good practice should include, for example, guidelines in the field of therapy since, despite the dentist have a wide option of prescription, it should limit this power to a particular therapy should not prescribe medications that are not in scope of his clinical practice. They must also dentists, through a consensus with other professional groups, and determine common areas of action distinct from dentists, doctors, dentists, medical specialists in maxillofacial surgery and to hygienists.

It is also essential to establish the legitimacy of the dentist performing the duties for which it was formed or prepared, including consultations with smoking cessation or aesthetic treatments such as botulinum toxin.

Also to structure a credible image of their profession, the canons set for good clinical practice should depart from the logic of the market that have been exposed through shocking advertising campaigns and marketing techniques. It is essential that patients can distinguish that a dentist is different from toothpaste and a retailer that logic is not applied to the provision of health services.

Finally, the credibility of the profession of dentist is also the respect that should exist between colleagues. Through legislation, dentists must enact an enabling solidarity to fight against under-employment which we realize and apply the logic of dignity among those who hired labor are hired.

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III - EXCELLENCE IN SCIENCE,

ACCURACY IN EDUCATION

Education and human capacity are synonymous (Francis Bacon). Despite his obsession with the mouth movements and the anatomy of the teeth, Francis Bacon never imagined being cited to illustrate the importance of education in the quality of dentistry. The excellence of the dentist goes through their superiority in terms of education, science and ongoing training.

At the level of education, university education is facing a big problem: way too many professionals with skills that are too fragile. If it becomes worrisome excess of professionals, more disturbing is the lack of preparation with which they leave for the labor market. Taking advantage of the Bologna Process, institutions of higher education increased the number of jobs created and multiple types of graduate school to tackle the funding problems they faced.

Thus, while it robs knowledge on pre-intentions have witnessed a declining trend of the powers conferred on graduates dentists. All this to justify the creation of specialized courses and to secure lucrative jobs in the domes of teaching. Contradictory as it seems it is taught to students today less than at the time of the firstborn Canteras.

Thus, there is urgent need to interfere constructively at the level of Higher Education. Recent history shows that self-regulation is inconsistent and the Order of Dentists to press these institutions to adapt the numerus clausus the needs of the labor market, to establish principles of excellence in school curricula and inculcate a doctrine of accuracy where inbreeding and terrorizing the students become a vague memory of the past

Moreover, for a dentist to reach a level of superiority is essential that recycle their knowledge. Thus, it is essential to promote conferences and trainings that more than vanity fairs and brands of materials, asserting themselves as scientific events of reference. This calls for an annual conference with a smaller range of subjects and knowledge that promotes quality. A smaller number of rooms centered on issues of relevance are fundamental changes to make a difference in this event. Credibility to this conference will be crucial that the inevitable events associated business move away from the decadence of a simulator game situations.

This conference, as other mandatory training which should be promoted by the Order of Dentists, should be part of a credit system upgrade required.

Like other professional bodies, the Order of Dentists (OMD in Portuguese language) should require the recycling of serious professional dentistry. Concomitantly, the dentist should be supported in their everyday clinical practice. The creation of a group of clinical decision support is a key idea to achieve the short period of time in order to assist the dentist in more complex clinical situations.

Also in this context the creation of guidelines (which are more than translations of foreign documents), it is essential to guide and protect the dentists in their practice.

To complete this triad of obtaining primacy in dentistry is essential to foster the creation of knowledge, stimulate research in dentistry and deny the doldrums of small amounts that we observe the creation of review articles.

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RECYCLE THE ORGANIZATION, INNOVATION APPROACH, dreaming about the future - Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change for men (Confucius).

The Dentistry in Portugal requires an openness to society and simultaneously to a restructuring of its guidelines. We need a new leadership with greater statesmanship. The Order of Dentists to think more globally, to defend doctors and dentists in particular, fighting for the common good of the population.

You need a break from this desire to maintain the status quo and achieve more of what is considered satisfactory. It is time to promote the prestige of the profession and to democratize access to medical and dental care. That dentistry is done according to art.

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Signatories

(Sign here)

425. Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oporto validate dental diagnosis based on photos

A study of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Oporto (FMUP) concluded that remote diagnosis of dental problems in children, based on photographs, is a valuable resource in the selection of who should be referred to a dentist.

The investigation has gone through two stages of evaluation. The analysis, by four dentists, three photographs of the teeth (front view, top and bottom) of 66 children aged between 4 and 6 years - each dentist completed a questionnaire based on compliance with the photos, available on the system MedQuest Developed by FMUP, indicating the oral problems screened and whether the child should or should not visit the dentist. That said, the child was assessed in a traditional dental appointment. Comparing the results of two types of evaluation, remote diagnostics (teledentistry) demonstrated a sensitivity between 94 and 100 percent and a specificity between 52 and 100 percent.

In Portugal, the smaller ones show a high prevalence of cavities in just six years, and only after this age begin their dental visits. The sooner treatment is given, earlier oral health is ensured.

Teachers themselves in school and taking photographs using the available technologies, increase the viability of oral health campaigns in schools, regionally and nationally. In the long term can think of a dental home, according to Rui Amável (Centre for Research in Information Systems and Technologies in Health-CESIMED, FMUP) and Ricardo Cruz-Correia (Service of Biostatistics and Medical Information FMUP), the study authors.

The combination of telecommunications and dentistry - teledentistry - allowed for the exchange of clinical information and images for the purpose of facilitating access to pediatric primary care. Despite this model being used successfully in many medical specialties, is not as widely accepted and used in dentistry. But the authors said the development of remote diagnostics will only benefit dental care, improve diagnosis and dental services.

Telediagnosis through digital photographic technology, presented as identifying potential dental problems and is a resource to explore.

Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto

424. The drama also oral health in the Autonomous Region of Madeira

The Regional Health Service in our region is too serious shortcomings. Addressing the situation of Oral Health, although there was some effort to improve this service, the reality today is very dramatic. The shortcomings of users reaching desperation.
For example, students with more than 12 years, belonging to disadvantaged families or have to be very poor, are not entitled to a dental service in a prompt, efficient and, in some cases not even have no chance solve the problem of oral health. I present a concrete situation and truthful.

In December 2009, my student was in class with toothaches. Head lying on the desk with a scarf wrapped on his face. He could not stand the pain. The tears flowed on his face. He said that a few days ago was awakened by a slight pain, like worse then their poor financial resources, went to the Health Center, the family doctor who sent it to the hospital. However, despite the urgency, had no right to consult a dentist's Regional Health Service, because he already had 15 years of age.

So new query to the family doctor, one more week, then the doctor at the state and no alternative, such as toothache kept the teenager, prescribed some antibiotics and some painkillers to try to remedy the situation and thus postpone the unavoidable.

A scandal. Astounded at the story of the student and touched by the situation because the student had no social conditions for a private dentist and had too old to be treated at the hospital, I had to act.

Not part of my philosophy of life stand to watch and do nothing. Although the student was a better time, as has been numbed with drugs, but just what effect has the excruciating pain returned. There she was lost in pain. And I know what's toothache.

However, I contacted the outset, the head of the class who tried to do everything possible to resolve the problem but no solution could be through the School. The insurance did not cover the much less school social action and, therefore, the school was tied helplessly.

I remembered calling my dear friend André Escórcio to require their help. How do I know that is a man preoccupied with these situations of injustice and has more experience than me, I asked him for help.

He made his contacts and here comes a solution. The Head of the class should contact the Social Worker of the student's area of residence for this technique to make the study of family and then to prove that the family had not really economic conditions to pay a private dentist, then it prompted the intervention of the Security Social. And so it was. The social worker was contacted, made the process of family assessment, which took a few days.

The director told me in class, last Friday, that the case, finally, more than a month later, will be referred to Social Security. It will be! Today I had class with the student and asked if we had the consultation and told me, very much satisfied that everything was resolved and now all that remained to make an appointment. Has not been consulted! You still have the pain, milder, because the painkillers fulfill their role.

We are very pleased with the outcome, although dissatisfied with the delay and the time wasted on unnecessary bureaucracy. This is the reality of our regional health system. The student was lucky to have found teachers concerned and attentive to detect the state of your health and not rest until they found a solution, despite the slowness of the process. However, this is a mere case.

How this student there are hundreds unsolved.

Urbanidades da Madeira

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This case goes beyond all bounds of human dignity. I hope the authorities, notably the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health to establish responsibility and know where the system failed. Why can not the girl was immediately referred to a dentist or a dentist?

After all what good is the school social action and the dentist's Regional Health Service?

423. One country, different regions and different approaches to intervention from the Dental Association

The leader of the Order of Dentists in the Autonomous Region of Madeira stresses that there are 14 dentists working in the health centers of the region on a rotational basis. At the health center of Bom Jesus work 11 (and four hygienists, one of them within the coordination of the Oral Health Programme) and three in Porto Santo, and in Porto Moniz service delivery is done by those professionals, all days of the week on a rotational basis.

Gil Alves welcomes the announcement of one more seat (which can be a dentist or work full time on a rotating basis) in Bom Jesus and another at the health center of Machico.

It is noted that in Porto Moniz all children are served the county until the age of 18, while in the Bom Jesus only up to 12 years. In the first are also treated all adults with chronic conditions do not allow them to travel to Funchal to transact their dental treatments. In the municipality of Porto Santo care is extended to all residents.

Gil Alves also notes that are provided at the health center of Bom Jesus, school emergencies in the dental traumatology students from three to 18 years, since the academic year 2005/2006, following agreement between the SARS and the Secretariat Education.

Jornal da Madeira

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The news gets to know that the Order of Dentists in Madeira stands for a dental public health at Health Centres in the region. One day we will also apply this example in Portugal?

422. Father, can I be when I grow teeth dentist to treat the other children?

The combination of the economic interests of the Government and the purpose of the Order of Dentists in the future to restrict the number of dentists could cause a drastic reduction of the accessibility of most of its population to oral health care in coming years.

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Asked about the possible recruitment of more dentists to the National Health Service, the State Secretary of Health Manuel Pizarro assured that this is not the strategy of the Ministry of Health. This strategy would mean that we would put the National Health Service (SNS) to compete with a network that already exists throughout the country offices and clinics of dentistry. From the viewpoint of general national interest that would not be a good strategy and would double the investment to substitute cooperation for competition, he argued.

To re-elected president of the College of Dentists, the improvement rates of population's access to oral health care is a top priority, but noted also the excess of dentists as a problem to solve. Unfortunately this leads many hundreds of dentists to have to find other countries to practice and obviously this is a frustration for younger doctors who see great possibilities for the profession in Portugal and this is a major problem, pointed Orlando Monteiro.

For Orlando Monteiro, the problem is solved with the adequacy of the number of vacancies in each of the seven colleges to the real needs of the country, as well as greater investment in colleges and postgraduate courses in Lusophone Countries, where there is a huge shortage of dentists. That colleges are geared more towards quality rather than quantity as for the case today, he added.

Iol Sociedade

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I want to express, first and on behalf of all oral health professionals who still work in the National Health S ervice, the biggest repudiation by the statements and intentions expressed by the State Secretary of Health Manuel Pizarro. This is a completely in opposition to the interests of the population, against all professional public that we still have in the area of oral health and only demonstrates the underlying interest to dismantle what remains of the National Health S ervice and create conditions that oral health is in the hands of private with absolute greed for profit.

More: putting the National Health Service to compete with a network that already exists throughout the country offices and dental clinics would be the best way to promote quality and reduce costs by encouraging the population. The design competition is to avoid an unnatural idea, we all studied the times of socialism in the Soviet Union and we all know what the results were.

Regarding the position of limiting the number of dentists, it is a stand against the Constitution and a clear violation of the aspirations of young people who want to come to practice dentistry in the future, it would be a serious intervention into the market oral health, would seriously undermine the overwhelming majority of its population and would contribute to strengthening the already dramatic social contrasts in access to oral health care.

Portugal, by contrast, is in urgent need of extending the offer to provide oral health services to meet the pressing needs, this is only possible with a still substantial enlargement of the number of dentists in order to reach the most remote regions geographically and contribute to better market regulation assigned to the area of health, contributing to a better quality of services and a significant reduction in costs.

In short, this time there is still a clear lack of dentists in Portugal and the fact that many leave abroad does not contribute to better oral health in Portugal, especially after having been formed at the expense of our taxes.

Better self regulation of the activity and the opening of specialty hospitals and public health centers should be the first priority to take into account both by government and Dental Association.

Does it not occur to any parent stop a child from wanting to become a dentist.

421. Oral health in the Project Area is the twelfth year of schooling

Link:

Project Area of School Francisco Fernandes Lopes (Olhão)

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The Project Area is a discipline of the twelfth year of schooling that aims, among other things, promote educational and vocational guidance of students, listing the projects developed within their context of work and career or prepare for further studies and insertion in the labor market.

It was in this discipline that this blog appeared. We are students of the twelfth grade of the course Science and Technology, School of Dr. Francisco Fernandes Lopes (Olhão), and we intend to develop over the years the Oral Health topic, focusing especially on youth.

This blog will then serve as a means of reporting all that the group will perform throughout the year and all events and initiatives that are being streamlined.

420. Portuguese children: State issued checks without dental coverage

Father, my check bounced

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In September, Jose Carlos received a voucher to the dentist for her daughter to be seen for free at a private clinic. The date was June, but only reached him three months later. Still, he called the office and made an appointment. He managed to wave in November.

Weeks later, he received a letter home to pay for the consultation, because the check-dentist was out of time. The complaint went to the Minister of Health, through the deputy of PCP Bernardino Soares, but the check issued by the State bald father to this port is not unique.

The coordinator of the National Oral Health, Rui Calado, admits he has received several complaints. But as the computer system does not allow coupons register after the deadline, states that there is no way to know how many checks were delivered to schools after the date, or how many parents have missed the limit by accident. If it is proved that the delays were in our services or schools, to find a solution, he asserts.

I on Line

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The simplest formula to humiliate the parents of children who require dental checks of the National Oral Health aimed at children and young people.