Lehmann A, Schneider F; International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care. Meeting.
Abstr Int Soc Technol Assess Health Care Meet. 1993; 9: 88.
Institute for Social Medicine & Epidemiology at Humboldt, University Berlin, Germany.
BACKGROUND. Dental health in Germany is, when measured in terms of the DMFT-index, on a comparable low level among European countries. This is partly seen as a result of a) the misrelationship between prevention and therapy and b) favourisation of individual against collective preventive strategies. Until 1990 we found fundamental differences in organisation of health care in Germany. Namely, the eastern part had installed special preventive programmes for children. In regular time-intervals investigations of dental health were performed at school by specialised on young patients dentists which subsequently provided advice or treatment, respectively. Local efforts in West to have similar facilities failed due to the monopolisation and individualisation of treatment controlled by dentists. According to the regional differences in prevention and early treatment dental health was/is unequally distributed with generally better figures in East Germany. While the situation in West concerning organisational patterns of prevention remained unchanged, the picture has rapidly altered in East. The specialised services disappeared. Merely one of the East Berlin districts conserved the former programme, not least due to a growing political interest in searching alternative ways for dental prevention. METHODS. In a first step of a four-year cohort study apart from dental status of two random samples (one from the district with maintaining preventive programme, another from those with downbroken collective prevention) acceptance of the present dental care is monitored by a questionnaire. Each sample consists of 650 six to twelve-year old children and their parents. RESULTS. Theoretical considerations on conceptional approaches and practice of quality assurance in dental care in the unified Germany are presented with particular emphasize on the country's eastern part. Coping with lost of the familiar brought-into-school care is enlightened. CONCLUSIONS. Fundamental changes in care technology need for a thorough study of customs that have historically developed in a population and for support of those who are endangered not to fit in a new care system.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Berlin
- Child
- Cohort Studies
- Dental Care
- Dental Clinics
- Dentists
- Germany
- Germany, East
- Health Services Needs and Demand
- Humans
- Longitudinal Studies
- Oral Health
- methods
- hsrmtgs
Other ID:
UI: 102211609
From Meeting Abstracts