Wednesday, 24 October 2018

706. ARS / Algarve puts dentists at the service of the population

The Regional Health Administration (ARS) of Algarve announced that, from today, Monday, 13, dentists were placed at the service of the population in the three Groupings of Health Centers in the region. The placement of dental professionals is part of the investment of the National Health Service in the area of oral health that, by the end of 2017, will integrate the specialty in 59 Health Centers nationwide, stressed the institution in a statement.
In an initial phase, the ARS / Algarve has three dentists and their dental assistants at the Barlavento Health Centers Group (ACES) in Portimão; in ACES Central, in Faro; and ACES Sotavento in Tavira. But the number of professionals in the area and the number of locations may grow during the year 2018, admits ARS.
In a meeting with the board of directors of ARS / Algarve, the regional coordinator of the Algarve Oral Health Program, executive directors and clinical directors of ACES, dentists and dental assistants, the guidelines were drawn up on how these new services work, which have the capacity to cover, at an early stage, users with risk factors and other situations that the family doctor considers to be clinically justified.
The referral of the users to the consultations of dental medicine is done through the family doctor. It thus increases the responsiveness of the National Health Service (NHS) in the Algarve to universal and equitable needs, taking into account the most vulnerable groups, says ARS / Algarve.
The institution stresses that there will be progressive access to oral health care in primary health care to guarantee access for people with chronic conditions to oral health care and to evaluate the oral health situation of people with the various pathologies defined and followed in the SNS.
To date, if there is a need to perform apical x-rays, dentists can do so because the cabinets are equipped with intraoral x-ray equipment. The reinforcement of primary health care in the region brings another novelty: from the beginning of December, the Algarve SNS provides for the first time in the ACES, a direct digital orthopantomograph for the execution of panoramic radiological images (digital orthopantomography) - previously possible only in the private health universe - which are available in the ARS / Algarve image filesystem.
 
Consultations in the primary health care of the three ACES of the ARS / Algarve will be able to carry out the following interventions: dental medicine consultation, urgent consultation, definitive direct restoration in composite resin and cement, permanent and deciduous tooth extraction and supra - periodontal maintenance treatment, gingivoplasty and gingivectomy, drainage and sealing of fissures.

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