Nash David A
College of Dentistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40536-0297, USA.
J Dent Educ. 2004 Jan;68(1):8-20; discussion 21-2.
Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General documented the profound and significant disparities that exist in the oral health of children in the United States. Recently, the country has been issued a National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health, under the leadership of the Office of the Surgeon General. Among the significant factors contributing to the disparities problem is the access to oral health care by disadvantaged populations. There are inadequate numbers of dentists able and willing to treat children, particularly poor and minority children. In the early part of the twentieth century, New Zealand faced a significant problem with oral disease among its children and introduced a School Dental Service staffed by allied dental professionals, known as "school dental nurses," who had received two years training in caring for the teeth of children. A number of other countries have since adopted this model. This article reviews attempts to develop a comparable approach in the United States. Furthermore, it justifies and advocates the development of pediatric oral health therapists in the United States as a means of addressing the disparities problem that exists in this nation. These pediatric oral health therapists would be trained in a two-year program to provide dental care services to children. The article concludes by asserting that such action is a practical and cost-effective way for dentistry to fulfill its professional obligation to care for the oral health of all children, thus ensuring justice in oral health for America's children.
《美国口腔健康:卫生局局长报告》记录了美国儿童口腔健康方面存在的巨大且显著的差异。最近,在卫生局局长办公室的领导下,该国发布了一份促进口腔健康的全国行动呼吁。导致差异问题的重要因素之一是弱势群体获得口腔医疗服务的情况。能够且愿意治疗儿童,尤其是贫困和少数族裔儿童的牙医数量不足。在20世纪初,新西兰面临着儿童口腔疾病的重大问题,并引入了由牙科专业人员组成的学校牙科服务,这些专业人员被称为“学校牙科护士”,他们接受了两年照顾儿童牙齿的培训。此后,许多其他国家采用了这种模式。本文回顾了在美国尝试开发类似方法的情况。此外,它论证并倡导在美国发展儿科口腔健康治疗师,以此作为解决该国存在的差异问题的一种方式。这些儿科口腔健康治疗师将接受为期两年的培训,为儿童提供牙科护理服务。文章最后断言,这样的行动是牙科履行其照顾所有儿童口腔健康的专业义务的切实可行且具有成本效益的方式,从而确保美国儿童在口腔健康方面的公平性。
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