Preventive Dentistry in Mongolia

Tseveenjav Battsetseg. Preventive dentistry in Mongolia. Department of Oral Public Health, Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, Finland, 2004. 83 pp. ISBN 952-91-7349-0 The current study investigated preventive dentistry in Mongolia by assessing future and practicing dentists’ professional preventive practice and knowledge and the oral health outcomes dental professionals achieved for themselves and dentists for their children. The study was based on a questionnaire survey with cross-sectional and longitudinal designs. Two types of questionnaires were piloted and delivered to the target population: all actively practicing dentists in the capital city, and all clinical-year dental students in 2000 and 2002. In total, 245 dentists (98%), plus 79 students in 2000 (100%) and 73 students in 2002 (96%) responded. In addition, data on 208 children aged 3 to 13 years were reported by their dentist parents. Cross-sectional comparisons of the students’ data assessed differences due to time, whereas longitudinal comparisons revealed changes due to professional training in different aspects of prevention. The respondents’ oral hygiene and dietary behaviour as well as utilization of oral health services were assessed by close-ended questions with several alternative answers. Preventive practice, competency, orientation, and knowledge as well as attendance at, self-perceived competency in, and attitude towards continuing education were measured by means of a fouror five-point scale or dichotomy. Dental health was self-reported by tooth in the dentigram provided. Better knowledge of or more competent self-perception in preventive care was a significant determinant for Mongolian dental professionals’ making use of preventive dentistry for themselves, their own children, and patients, and for those Mongolian dentists’ engaging in continuing education activity. Dental professionals and dentists’ children enjoyed better dental health than did their population counterparts. As regards preventive practice of the dental students concerning their patients, and of the dentists concerning their own children, recommendations or advice on individual-active measures were more frequently given than were professional-active measures. The dental professionals were quite knowledgeable in traditional caries-preventive measures. Minor variation in preventive practice and knowledge occurred in relation to dental professionals’ background variables. It can thus be concluded that preventive dentistry in Mongolia seems to be in its developmental phase. Mongolian dental professionals need to make full use of preventive dentistry in order to benefit themselves, their own children, and patients. This would potentially be reflected as improvement in the oral health of the Mongolian population. For this task, the preventive knowledge that dental professionals possess needs to be improved, especially concerning modern measures of caries prevention. The learning environment should support the use of preventive measures. Behavioural science subjects should be integrated into the basic dental curriculum and continuing education programme, emphasizing social and environmental determinants of oral health behaviour and outcome. The practice of preventive dentistry should be supported at both the administrative and dental educational level to gain more widespread appreciation and adoption of preventive measures at the individual, professional, and community level. Author’s address: Battsetseg Tseveenjav, Department of Oral Public Health, Institute of Dentistry, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 41, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland. E-mail: [email protected] List of publications This thesis is based on the following articles referred to in the text by their Roman numerals. In addition, the thesis includes some unpublished data. I Tseveenjav B, Vehkalahti M, Murtomaa H. Preventive practice of Mongolian dental students. European Journal of Dental Education 2002; 6: 74-78. II Tseveenjav B, Vehkalahti M, Murtomaa H. Time and cohort changes in preventive practice among Mongolian dental students. European Journal of Dental Education