SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOGMobile Dental Clinic is a way to Overcome Dental Care Issues for African immigrant families of Preschoolers
Delivering dental health care facilities and extend their usage is one of the most important things of the human development. All services for the targeted group have to be simply created with the purpose of preventing the spreading of diseases in people. All this can be accomplished by the use of mobile dental clinics. According to many studies, mobile dental clinics have a key role in overcoming affordability and accessibility barrier. It is well known that they can reach more patients than the fixed dental clinics and hospitals.
When it comes to African immigrants and their children, dental caries seems to be the most common diseases. When this problem occurs in children, it may cause difficulties in eating, learning, and speaking. Because of these reasons, American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended a policy that children have to receive oral health care by a professional dentist at their sixth month. The presented policy also indicates to other important factors such as daily nutrition, the exposure of fluoride, flossing and also the usage of dental services. Studies have shown that preschoolers in urban cities brush their teeth more regularly than preschoolers in remote communities. Preschooler’s quality of life is affecting their oral health, general health and the future community at large.
Mobile dental clinics bring dental care to preschoolers
When poor African families have to choose whether they spend their money on paying the dental appointment or for food, they will for sure choose the second one. This choice, which is a survival decision, leaves poor preschoolers prone to serious dental problems which may affect not only their dental health but also general health. In these areas, mobile dental clinics can be located in order to help under-served people with dental health care services irrespective of their socioeconomic possibilities. Depending on where the people are located, there should be special mobile dental trailers with well-educated dentists who will take care of preschoolers.
Dentists explain that the work with children is very hard because children don’t feel that going to the dentist is fun. The dental team must try their best to make the appointment as agreeable as possible.
The managers of these dental clinics on wheels needs to ascertain that they are located where the children are. In most cases the optimum locations are schools, homes or in their communities. These dental trailers should be more accessible so, the parents don’t have to take two or more buses to get to the dentist. The organizations which implement these projects should affirm that their programs last for ten years. Through all these years, the programs have grown rapidly and successfully. The mobile dental vans are equipped with dental equipment, essentials, materials and devices as well as electronic records. Electronic records are very important because there is always a way to access the patient’s records at any time when you need them. These projects are very successful for the preschoolers from African and other rural populations and the organizers needs to focus on improvements and expansions to fill the needs as they become recognized with new mobile dental vans and trailers.
The dental team operators with these type of projects claim that if they get new and bigger mobile dental trailers/vans/coach, their team would grow and they would be able to serve more preschoolers affectively and they would have time to go to more regions.
Dentists and parents both must be present and capable to educate their children in maintaining dental care. That’s why it is very important to educate parents and explaining to them how to assist with brushing and flossing and also how & why do children have to use the dental products at home. This is the main philosophy behind the big scene, teaching healthy oral hygiene habits in the early age in life in order to prevent a lifetime of various dental and health problems.
Summary
It is well known that oral health is one of the biggest problems which affect all individuals at any age. Poor oral health care habits during childhood are clearly associated with poor oral health care in adults if the caries process rapidly continues. It is good to know that oral health has some kind of impact on overall systems in the human body. This means that early childhood caries may lead to more serious health diseases such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The report from many studies indicates that parents have a little knowledge about practicing good oral health care habits so they are not competent to educate their preschoolers. This is associated with the status that they also don’t know how important the children’s primary teeth are. The main motivational things for all parents in achieving good oral health care in their preschool children are the entire health of their child and also the cosmetic appearance which can contribute to the emotional and psychological health.
The results turn positive when many educational interventions were made. Teaching preschoolers how to properly brush and floss and take control over their oral hygiene is the least a parent can do. Thanks to these programs, the percent of dental caries among African preschoolers is decreasing.
