Oral health status and treatment needs of Iruligas at Ramanagara District, Karnataka, India.

OBJECTIVES: To assess the oral health status and treatment needs of Iruliga tribal community residing at Ramanagara District, Karnataka, India. METHODS: The total population of 2605 Iruligas residing at 26 villages of Ramanagara District was included for the study. Data were collected using World Health Organization (WHO) 1997 'Oral Health Assessment Form'. Examination was done under good natural light using a mouth mirror and community periodontal index (CPI) probe. RESULTS: The total study population was 2605, comprising 1545 males and 1060 females in the age group of 1-80 years with the mean age of 30.56 +/- 19.51. The majority of Iruligas (79.8%) used chew sticks as an oral hygiene aid. Subjects with leukoplakia were found to be 3 (0.12). The most commonly seen enamel opacity/hypoplasia was diffuse opacity affecting 930 (35.7%) subjects. A mild form of dental fluorosis affected 1658 (63.65%) subjects. Subjects with bleeding were only 4.22%; subjects with calculus were 57.9%; those with shallow pockets (4-5 mm) were 22.0% and subjects with deep pockets (> or = 6 mm) were 3.67%. The prevalence of dental caries among Iruligas was found to be 7.52%. The mean number of decayed, missing, filled (DMF) permanent teeth per person was 0.55 +/- 0.1. Definite malocclusion, which required elective treatment, was noted in 14.1%. Iruligas with need for referral were found to be 29.94% (n = 780) according to the various treatment needs required for different oral diseases. CONCLUSION: This study revealed less prevalence of oral diseases among Iruligas, highlighting the role of good oral health practices prevalent among this isolated population.

[Programs for supervised professional practice and for rural oral health promoters in Guatemala]. / Programas de ejercicio profesional supervisado y de promotores rurales de salud oral en Guatemala.

The experiences of the programs of Supervised Professional Practice and for Rural Oral Health Promoters conducted by the School of Dentistry of San Carlos University in Guatemala are described. The first of these programs was designed to have students practice the profession during an eight-month academic period in hinterland towns under periodical supervision by their professors, and the second resulted as an unexpected offshoot during the initial stages of the program of Supervised Professional Practice in a northwestern district of Guatemala. The history and progress of both programs are described, some results are presented, and the salient features of university-community interaction, as exemplified by these programs, are discussed in terms of a theoretical model designed by one of the authors.

[The experience in dental education of Cayetano Heredia University of Peru]. / La experiencia de la universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia en educación odontológica.

This article describes the educational experience gained in the dentistry program of Cayetano Heredia University in Peru. The programs for professional and auxiliary personnel training were drawn up after analyzing the health needs of the population and the services required to meet them, which resulted in the elaboration of an original methodology and taxonomy. Learning is an integral experience, one that takes place in the dental clinic, the hospital, and the community. The curriculum includes the following components: units for the intensive learning of clinical functions, fewer preclinical activities, clinical training with the ongoing assistance of auxiliary staff, extended interaction with marginal urban communities, rural internships, and hospital externships. A summary account is given of the gains made, the difficulties encountered, and plans for devising in-service teaching approaches that more effectively meet the needs of the community.

[The Ecuadorean experience: rural work as an axis for the provision of dental services]. / La experiencia ecuatoriana: el trabajo rural como eje para el desarrollo de los servicios odontológicos.

This article discusses dental practice up to 1972 and the oral-dental epidemiologic profile in Ecuador. It is then proposed that the indices of oral-dental morbidity can be lowered by establishing a technical unit of national scope, shifting the orientation in the year of compulsory rural service required of dnetal school graduates, training and employing auxiliaries from the communities, adding research to the regular functions of the dentist, and centering the performance of dental services on rural work. Lastly, a detailed description is given of the national rural dentistry program and its operation from 1972 to 1976, and the gains made in the oral-dental care of population are reviewed.