Integrated oral disease prevention and management: modules for primary health care workers. Good health begins with a healthy mouth. Module I: children 0-5 years old. 2. ed.

Abstract

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), under its Community Free of Caries Initiative, is proud to present the Integrated Oral Disease Prevention and Management (IODPM) modules as a practical solution to facilitate the integration of oral health within primary health care. Integrating oral health prevention and management into the delivery of primary health care services is now one of the cornerstones of PAHO’s oral health program. The IODPM modules are geared to assist primary health care workers in the prevention of oral diseases and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) through various promotional activities. The resulting benefits serve to increase awareness of protective factors, such as appropriate oral self-care practices, the effective use of fluorides, and healthy lifestyle choices related to diet, nutrition, personal hygiene, and smoking and alcohol consumption. This integrated approach is a “‘best practice”’ model and reorients oral health care toward prevention, tackles common risk factors for NCDs and oral health and, facilitates early intervention.