Dental care for the peoples Living in the islands where there are no dentists encounters many difficult problems. One of the major problems is a deficiency with respect to the dental needs. Temporarily organized therapeutic teams have principally supplied emergency treatment, but such emergency measures have not effectively improved the oral health status of epople in the detached islands, because therapeutic measures can not reduce amount of the need for dental treatment, and therefore can not bring about an introduction of the guidance Requined for dental health care.
The present study aimed to explore an actual and effective program for the improvement of oral health of children living in islands having no dentists.
The data were obtained from the residents of a village in Kagoshima Prefecture, Mishima-mura consisting of 3 small islands. Preschool and school children and their parents and other adult residents were examined with respect to their oral health status and dental home cares.
Cultural backgrounds of the villigers were also investigated.
The results obtained were as follows:
1) Rates of untreated carious teeth were very high among the children of Mishimamura. The prevalence of caries differed among the children of the 3 islands.
2) Oral hygiene habits of the children were generally good, but habitual intake of caries-inducing foods as between-meal snacks was a major problem. Also dental home care practices differed among the 3 islands.
3) Home and social environments that seem to be closely related to the prevention of caries were unsatisfactory from a view point of the practice of good oral health cares for children. These elements also slightly among the 3 islands.
4) Cultural backgrounds, particulary transportation and communication, greatly influenced the propagation of knowledge and practice of dental health care and the prevalence of dental caries.