From May 14, free dental screenings will be launched in all nurseries in Ruse Municipality

Monday, 13 May 2024

On May 14, for the second consecutive year, the municipal program "My Teeth – Healthy and White" for the prevention and prevention of caries in early childhood for children from 1 to 3 years of age attending a nursery on the territory of Ruse Municipality was launched. The program is planned to cover 37 nursery groups from all 9 nurseries and their affiliates. The program started with Nursery No16 according to a schedule.

In 2023, more than 500 children from municipal crèches participated in the program, and the analysis of the results of the screening showed that 42% of them have dental health problems. The most common problem in children is poor dental hygiene – abundant plaque in the central and lateral incisors and proximal cavities of the molars in children over 2 years of age.

The screening will be conducted by Dr. Elizabeth Yordanova, a dentist, with disposable dental instruments, and the examination itself will be in the form of a game. All examined children will be provided with dental examination cards with a description of the dental status, which will be provided to the parents.

In addition to the examinations funded by the Municipality of Ruse, children will receive as a gift a toothbrush and toothpaste, tailored to their age. The gifts are provided with a gratuitous donation from the company "Rubella Beauty".

Parents who wish their children to benefit from free dental examinations must complete an informed consent and provide it to the crèche director who visits their child. It is not necessary to provide health books to children, as the examinations are not bound by the NHIF.

Visits by the dentist will be conducted according to a pre-prepared schedule for each nursery and will be consistent with the regime of each nursery group.

The implementation of such a program is of utmost importance, as caries in early childhood is the most widespread chronic, bacterial and behavioral disease of hard tooth tissues, which most often affects circularly vestibular or lingual surfaces of the upper temporary incisors and molars of children in early childhood. Caries usually proceeds quickly and often leads to the destruction of the entire crown of the tooth. Destruction of the upper incisors leads to speech problems and a change in the bite.

Among the reasons for the appearance of caries in early childhood are:

• Frequent use of juices, sweetened drinks and foods rich in sugars;

• Missing or poor oral hygiene;

• Prolonged night feeding with extra sweetened milk;

• The bacterium S. Mutans.
The program provides for conducting free prophylactic examinations by a dentist and acquainting parents and staff in nurseries with the problem of caries of early childhood. Educational materials and toys tailored to their age are prepared for children in nursery groups, with which educators periodically in the form of games will direct children's attention to maintaining good oral hygiene.

Print

view all >