Views on oral health care strategies

The Oral Health Programme (ORH) is a health promotion and disease prevention initiative. ORH should be integrated into primary health care programmes by building policies suited to each country and based on the common risk factor approach. Dental caries and periodontal diseases are highly prevalent in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, especially among children; therefore, school-based programmes are recommended. Although cost-effective, water and salt fluoridation are often unavailable and topical fluorides are recommended. Governments and industry must ensure availability of affordable fluoride toothpaste. Fluoride toothpaste should also be used to control periodontal diseases.The atraumatic restorative treat- ment approach should be used to treat dental caries.The Basic Package of Oral Care (BPOC) for deprived communities outlines this approach in detail. Continuous training and research are recommended for per- sonnel to keep pace with changes in methods of prevention and treatment procedures.