The first dental visit – comparative analysis of two successive five-year periods

Abstract

Introduction/Objective An important moment in oral health care and preventive dentistry is the first dental visit, recommended to be undertaken between the child’s sixth and 12th month of life. Worldwide evidence shows a considerable delay. This study evaluates characteristics of the first dental visit in a public health care center in Novi Sad, Serbia, during 2006–2015 period, and changes in occurrence driven by the healthcare reform.

Methods The study design was retrospective, evaluating available data on age and the main reason for the first dental visit of 270 children, who come to the same dentist and pediatrician in a public health care center during the 2006–2015 period.

Results Collected data determined the third and the fourth year of life as the dominant age (45.8% of children) for the first dental visit in 2006–2010, initiated mostly by a dental check-up (53.8%). During the second period (2011–2015), most of the first visits (31.1%) were done by the age of one, while the main reason for 80.1% of the visits was dental check-up.

Conclusion Considerable progress regarding the first dental visit was made in the observed period, which is, at least partially, due to the health care reform and emphasized preventive versus curative measures, by means of advanced communication between parents and chosen medical staff in prenatal and pediatric clinics.

Keywords: caries; dental visit; oral health promotion