Promoting Oral Health in Less Economically Developed Regions in China

Introduction: The caries prevalence of permanent teeth in 12-year-old Chinese children was 28.9% according to the Third National Oral Health Survey in China. The effective preventive methods were difficult to perform in the Central and Western regions in China, where the areas were less economically developed. Chinese government, therefore, developed a comprehensive preventive program to promote oral health for children in these regions. Objective: To improve oral health conditions in children in the less economically developed Central and Western regions in China. Methods: Subjects from the counties chosen from 23 provinces were enrolled into the program, which includes oral health education and promotion, professional training, oral health examination, and free pit and fissure sealant for the first permanent molar. A systematic approach was carried out to increase oral health awareness in children via recommending regular dental check-up, encouraging the children who meet the indication to accept sealant treatment, and improving the technical skill for dental profession to conduct proper prevention and treatment procedures in the regions. Results: Until June in 2011, a number of 9237 oral health promotion technical personnel received training, which significantly improved their skills in dental prevention and treatment. Oral health education program covered 9.38 millions children in the regions. There was a significant increase in the level of oral health awareness. The rate of oral health knowledge was increased more than 85%, and the rate of brushing teeth was increased more than 70%. In addition, 1.198 million children were given free oral health examination, among those 675 thousand children received free pit and fissure sealant. Conclusion: The oral health promotion program demonstrated effectiveness for improving oral health level of children. Chinese government is conducting a successful program in an effort to reduce the oral health inequality between less economically developed regions and economically advanced regions.