The Danish oral health care service for children: from school dental services to oral health care.

The Danish oral health care services for children began its development at the beginning of this century. The aims and main principles of the service were formulated in the 1960s and in 1971 the Danish Parliament passed the Act on the Children's Oral Health Care System. By 1987 a complete oral health care service as a decentralized public health enterprise will be fully established covering all Danish children from 0 to 16 years of age. The oral health care programme is founded on health education and prevention. Treatment services are considered to be a safety net for disease not yet prevented. The oral health care service for children is described in detail and future developments are discussed.