Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Apr 7;16(7):1234. doi: 10.3390/ijerph16071234.
Oral diseases remain one of the major global public health challenges, and the worldwide urban⁻rural disparities in oral health are significant. Residents in rural areas generally suffer from a higher prevalence and severity of dental caries and periodontal disease, yet they face numerous difficulties and barriers in accessing oral healthcare. Conventional strategies, such as building of dental clinics or, hospitals, or the provision of outreach services by using disposable materials, are neither practical nor effective in rural settings. Mobile dental vehicles (MDVs) have been proposed as an alternative strategy to supplement the traditional oral healthcare in many regions. They have usually been utilized in school-based oral health programs, providing dental care to the homeless or migrants, and screening programs for the population for various oral diseases. Due to their high mobility, MDVs are particularly valuable for the underserved populations living in rural areas. The advance of dental devices enables MDVs to be operated in a self-sufficient manner. This allows the MDV to function almost as well as a conventional dental clinic, providing a variety of dental treatments, including scaling, restoration, and oral surgery. This article discusses the use of MDVs as a solution to urban⁻rural inequality in receiving oral healthcare.
口腔疾病仍然是全球主要的公共卫生挑战之一，全球城乡口腔健康差距显著。农村地区的居民普遍患有更高的龋齿和牙周病患病率和严重程度，但他们在获得口腔保健方面面临着许多困难和障碍。在农村地区，传统的策略，如建立牙科诊所或医院，或使用一次性材料提供外展服务，既不实际也不有效。移动牙科车（MDV）已被提议作为许多地区补充传统口腔保健的替代策略。它们通常用于基于学校的口腔健康计划中，为无家可归者或移民提供牙科护理，以及为各种口腔疾病人群进行筛查计划。由于其高度的机动性，MDV 对于居住在农村地区的服务不足的人群特别有价值。牙科设备的进步使 MDV 能够以自给自足的方式运行。这使得 MDV 的功能几乎与传统的牙科诊所一样，可以提供各种牙科治疗，包括洁牙、修复和口腔手术。本文讨论了使用 MDV 作为解决城乡接受口腔保健不平等的方法。
