Better oral health for children--the Danish model.

Since 1972 a public, fully subsidized municipal school dental service has been established in Denmark. The school dental service comprises general and individual preventive measures, regular dental examinations and all odontological treatment needed to keep the masticatory system in a good functional order. At the same time a recording system for the oral health of children was established. Information from the school dental service and private practitioners on the oral condition of children is passed to the dental division of the National Health Board. The statistics, published once a year, have proved extremely valuable for evaluation and planning purposes. The school dental service on a nationwide scale has been in function for too short a time to allow a final conclusion to be drawn. However, a positive trend in the caries experience of children may already be seen as a possible result. The importance of a regular dental service for children and of regular visits to a dentist for adults is illustrated. The problems arising when children leave school and pass from the school dental service to the National Health Insurance System are discussed.