Improving oral health of handicapped children in Senegal

Oral health needs of handicapped children will be at focus in a new project cooperation with the Senegal Dental Association approved in August 2005. The World Dental Development Fund will finance the activities in several orphanages and schools in Senegal. Physically and mentally challenged children suffer from a significantly higher burden or oral diseases while having at the same time a more difficult access to oral health care. The project tries to bridge this gap by providing free dental treatment and preventive education to teachers and nurses. Colgate Senegal will also contribute to the project.

Integrating oral health in Primary Health Care in Northern Pakistan

This project approved by the World Dental Development and Health Promotion Committee in September 2004 aims at integrating basic oral care in existing primary health care structures in a rural province of northern Pakistan. The demonstration project will be co-financed by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation.

Oral health survey in Rwanda

The Fund approved this project as one of the first to give support to a war-torn country virtually without any resources or functioning structures. It was agreed to conduct a baseline oral health survey in order to allow further planning and establishment of appropriate services. Due to the expected practical difficulties in conducting an epidemiological survey according to WHO standards, the initial concept was later modified towards a more realistic needs assessment approach.

The survey was successfully terminated in January 2004 and a report with initial results was presented during the Planning Conference for Oral Health in the African Region in Nairobi in April 2004.

Computer Equipment to Dental Schools in Africa

This project was carried out in collaboration with Unilever Oral Care Ltd. and the Commonwealth Dental Association. Appropriate computer equipment and software was donated to identified dental schools, national dental associations and individuals in the African region in order to facilitate communication and exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Community oral health in Lomé, Togo

This project has been approved in 2002 and has started in 2003 with the implementation of the first phase, consisting in a national oral health awareness campaign and the introduction of a school health programme in Lomé, the capital of Togo. This programme includes education of children, teachers and parents as well as examination and treatment. A fluoridation scheme will be introduced at the next stage of the project.

Smile Healthy with your Diabetes: An Oral Health Coaching-based intervention for patients with Diabetes, Turkey

The project is jointly carried out by the School of Dentistry at the University of Copenhagen and the Yeditepe Dental Faculty in Turkey. The main objection is to assess the impact of an oral health coaching-based intervention on oral and general health of people with Type 2 Diabetes. The project promoted health coaching for work-place settlements, integration of health coaching into postgraduate oral and public health education programmes and website about health coaching for diabetic patients.