537. Checks dentists do not cover more than 90% of the oral health needs of children and adolescents

The Dental Association has called on the authorities to begin to deliver sooner dentist checks in schools, which are having a lower rate of use in school-age children. According to the report on access to the Serviço Nacional de Saúde (SNS), the 997,000 checks issued from the academic year 2008/2009 students from public schools only 57 percent were employed.

tvi24 

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Let's do math. In Portugal there are about 1.8 million children and adolescents (default). The recommendation is to be made ​​2 visits per child per year (1.8 million X 2 = 3.6 million visits per year), the dentist-check was introduced in the academic year 2008/2009, 3 years ago (3.6 million X 3 = 10.8 million visits). The number of vouchers are distributed to dentists 997 000, giving a coverage of 9.23% 

The conclusion is simple: the check-dentist covers less than 10% of the oral health needs of children and young people in Portugal.

536. Topics for the development of an oral health policy in Portugal (II)

The financial, human resources and materials in the country are sufficient to significantly improve the health sector, including also the valence of oral health. The topics presented in the previous post are just some examples of the work that needs to be done, stopped in the last six years by the Ministry of Health
You must have an active philosophy towards health issues and deal with viable solutions that generally do not cause increases in costs and allowing wide monetize the resources already available. Prevention deserves a big highlight in oral health.

Other measures may be derived from overlapping that, firstly, the policy must be focused only to benefit the patient. For reflection (the order appears arbitrarily):
1.- Create basic oral health emergencies in central hospitals, affecting a doctor dentist 24 hours a day (in case of emergency you can not ask other experts from different areas to treat specific diseases oral health);

2.- Eliminate red tape and end up with all kinds of fees and taxes to legalize the provision of oral health care in clinics and medical centers, provided they buy all the legal requirements and to be assured that the health of patients;
3.- Making insurance mandatory for all professional technicians oral health, without exception, to cover all medical procedures performed and always safeguard the health of patients;
4.- Making health insurance compulsory for the whole population, to ensure that all people are able to access health care in the National Health Service and agreed, including access to oral health care;
5.- Discriminate positively primary health care, particularly with preventive character, facilitating and promoting widespread access and free of charge to children and young exams early diagnosis of oral health in any clinic or recognized by the Ministry of Health;

6.- Prohibit entirely advertising of all products and substances harmful to oral hygiene, including television spots for food highly detrimental to training and education for healthy eating;
7.- To effectively combat trade in food substances and highly harmful to oral hygiene, forcing companies to identify, clearly and prominently on the labels, what are its harmful effects on health;
8.- Introduce additional user fees that penalize the people who resorted systematically to health care in non-priority areas, particularly when associated with behavioral risk factors (abortion, diseases originating from tobacco use, sexually transmitted diseases, drug abuse, etc). 

535. Topics for the development of an oral health policy in Portugal (I)

1.- Considering the huge gap between the oral health care available to the population in Portugal and those provided in other EU countries;
2.- Noting the huge income inequalities between social classes, with direct reflection on the opportunities of access to oral health care;
3.- Knowing that oral health is an essential commodity for the physical well-being and psychological of any human being, from childhood to old age (and its absence causes immeasurable damage and permanently for the rest of his life, in both physical and psychological)
4.- Observing a lack of moral ethics on the part of heads of ministerial health of past governments to study and implement concrete measures to eradicate diseases oral health;
5.- Having regard to almost zero role of the Directorate - General of Health to promote an effective and accurate real prevention of oral health in the school environment;

6.- Noting the systematic utilization of available resources for oral health in the order of many millions of euros spent on advertising, software, brochures and the like, without which there would result a single real medical treatment;
7.- Assuming that many actively entities with interests oral health sector in Portugal claim that everything remains the same, no change;
8.- Existing in Portugal all the human and material resources needed for full health care, in terms of oral health, the entire Portuguese population.
It is time to apply the new government, already, several measures that humanize the oral health sector in Portugal, namely:

a) implementation of the Oral Health Card for all children and young people;
b) complete allocation of all funds for oral health programs solely on medical procedures;
c) use of social media audiences, including television, to promote a culture of responsible oral health;
d) maximum possible dissemination of oral health services available in the country, including those allocated to the National Health Service;
e) introduction of oral health exams as a requirement for mandatory registration and renewal of registration in all primary schools and secondary schools;

f) creation of a single national telephone number, intended solely to oral health;
g) contracts for services directly between the state and young dentists, formed recently, in order to place in the labor market all dentists trained by the universities;
h) valuation of initiatives aimed at strengthening cooperation between the various specialties of oral health, dental and dental and the remaining valences of the National Health Service;
i) invests in tax incentives that allow the creation and retention of small units of oral health in poorer and more remote from major cities;
j) strong support for scientific research of young graduates in areas of high interest to the public oral health;

l) review of the role of all institutions related to oral health sector, particularly in terms of competence and public responsibilities;
m) introduction of partnership with third countries by setting annual quotas of emigration / immigration of oral health professionals;
n) establish a period of extraordinary legalization for all oral health professionals in the country illegally established, stipulating obligations and duties;
o) make and publish a mandatory national system of annual appraisal of all professionals related to oral health;
p) officially certify entities and bodies providing services or products required for the development of all activities related to oral health;
q) promote practical training of all technicians in oral health training institutions providing the necessary resources to fulfill their duties. 

534. TURMA DO BEM in Portugal

Today in Portugal, the TURMA DO BEM are 210 and more than 280 complex dental treatments offered for free. We have volunteers in more than 50 cities, from north to south of Portugal. The value of the EDP Foundation invests, along with support from Jaba Recordati, ACEuropa and other support is crucial to accomplish our work. And we are fully aware that we have much to do.

As for the draft to come out or not is irrelevant. Volunteers, the heart of  TURMA DO BEM are mostly, Portuguese citizens. Replicability, proven results, acting in more than 10 countries and a network of 9000 volunteers are the reasons that made ​​the EDP Brazil support this project in Brazil since 2008 and EDP Foundation is co-founder of the initiative in less than a year showed extraordinary results.

We maintain an excellent relationship with other organizations. Miguel Pavão, president of the MUNDO A SORRIR, and Dr. Cassiano Scapini, project coordinator of the LBV in Porto, and meet our volunteers are 2 children each.

Finally, we received the award for Project of Social Solidarity Oral Health magazine, which shows the recognition of a significant proportion of dental professionals Portuguese. Incidentally, in this moment of crisis, what we need most are good ideas and solidarity. To add up, clarify, and improve valuing dentistry in Portugal. Especially in Lisbon, where we have over 200 young people in queue.

Murilo Casagrande

Manager of the International TURMA DO BEM

210028125

Murilo@turmadobem.org.pt  

533. The end of cycle

The order of the government of José Sócrates is the culmination of a dark period for the oral health of the entire Portuguese population. The last six years have been marked by a ridiculous waiting period effective in fighting that left to do in Portugal, in combating diseases related to oral health.

In exchange for almost nothing and the silencing of the subject in the media, to pretend that everything ran on wheels in oral health hid the pure demagoguery of those who have never been interested in doing something positive, leaving the sinking bad oral health of the Portuguese population increasingly away from the quality of life of European citizens.

Hopefully for another time and new rulers to change the state in the swampy navigating the oral health of the Portuguese. 

532. Children learn to take care of teeth in Clinicalm in Almeirim

Undaunted, Salvador, four years old, is the first to climb to the dentist's chair. Very earnest in his role as medical pretending, Jessica, a year younger, puts the mask on the mouth and listens carefully to the directions of the doctor seriously. With the mirror disposable hand in the girl's mouth Salvador notes to see if it's okay with your teeth. Jessica and Salvador are two of about fifty children from Kindergarten Conde Sobral in Almeirim, who visited the facilities of Clinicalm.

The purpose of that kind of hits that Clinicalm started about two years is alert children to the importance of brushing teeth and going to the dentist regularly. There are still children who are not encouraged to take oral hygiene habits and so we decided to help, explains Maria Pinto Correia, clinical director and manager.

For most children who was first contacted with a dentist. Maria Pinto Correia says it's important they realize how a query to lose the fears that may be associated with this medical specialty.

The medical dentist says that parents take their children to the dentist rather late. Usually after having already born the permanent teeth. The first consultation should occur at the birth of the first baby teeth. Failure to come to the dentist affect the dentition in the future, he adds.

During the visit the children was possible to detect some decayed teeth. The physician advises that children wash teeth at least twice daily and visit the doctor twice a year. Once you begin to be born the first baby teeth should be washed even if with a cloth or compress. When you start eating sweets is very important to wash your teeth frequently stresses.

The training began with the viewing of an animated film where the doctor Dentolas explains the importance of having healthy teeth. At the end the children received a gift toothpaste and a pamphlet which explains the care of the teeth.

While defending that prevention remains the best strategy for good oral health, the dentist regrets that medical patients to doctors only recourse when problems are already active. The Clinicalm has a team of five dentists, two gynecologists, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a speech therapist and two assistants.

O Mirante  

531. BRAZIL: macabre experiments on children with impunity

By an agreement with the prosecution of the Federal District, the dentist Wilson Oliveira Santos who took all the teeth Cesar Oliveira Ferreira will pay 51 thousand Brazilian reais.

However, the procedure done in absentia of those responsible for the boy had much milder fate: he got rid of the punishment in violation process which analyzed the four sections of the Code of Ethics in Dental Article fifth, just what is the fundamental duties of professionals and entities of Dentistry.

(See here typing this macabre story)

UOL Notícias 

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The barbarity of the sentence applied to the heinous crime committed on persons under the age reveals far as the lack of professional ethics can go; unfortunate that crimes such absurd to pass unscathed dental organizations and the Brazilian courts.

I believe this crime committed in another country would have a sentence of several years in prison and a ban for the rest of the life of dental hygienist to have any contact with children.
Unfortunately the crime was committed within the borders of Brazil. There are international voices to denounce human rights violations wherever they occur.