Basic package of oral care: a veritable tool for promotion of primary oral health care by community health officers.

Abstract

Objectives: Primary health care workers have the educational and clinical capacity required to learn basic package of oral care and become the primary resource for oral health promotion and simple curative care in their communities. The study was undertaken to determine the willingness of community health officers to treat patient with oral complaints, receive training on basic oral treatment and comment on basic package of oral care in the promotion of oral health.

Methods: Data were collected using self-administered questionnaires. The questionnaires were peer-reviewed for content validity and revised before data collection. Analysis was done using SPSS-16 statistical software. Proportions were compared using Chi-square test at 95% confidence interval.

Results: All the participants reported seeing patients with oral complaints. About 60% of the participants saw less than 5 patients with oral complaints per week, while 27.3% saw between 5-10 patients per week. Two-third (66.7%) and 18.2% of the patients visited the health centres for pain and multiple complaints respectively. About 90% of the health workers were willing to receive training on basic oral treatment and provide treatment for patients with dental complaints.

Conclusion: The expressed desire by the community health officers to learn basic oral treatment and provide treatment for the dental population in their local community; is an indication that this group of staff may be used to bridge the existing inequalities in oral health and contribute to the promotion of oral health.