Project Myanmar

Rural oral health care development in Myanmar - A demonstration project

The project is a collaboration between:

Oral Health Unit, Ministry of Health, Myanmar;

WHO Collaborating Center for Oral Health Care Planning and Future Scenarios, Radboud University of Nijmegen;

Dental Health International Netherlands (DHIN).

Recently, a WHO Collaborating Center, Nijmegen report (2002): "Basic Package of Oral Care", has been published. This report contains suggestions to improve the equity of oral health care services, by the provision of basic oral care in the community through auxiliary health personnel in Health Centers. Furthermore, the report suggests to create an environment conducive to oral health by the introduction on the local market of an affordable, anti-caries effective fluoride toothpaste and by promoting the habit of daily toothbrushing among the population.

The present project in Myanmar aims to follow the suggestions of the cited WHO report. A small scale project is proposed in order to find out the feasibility, effectiveness, acceptability, and affordability under local conditions of the strategy suggested in the cited WHO report. The project contains the following components:

In service training of Health Assistance from Health Centers in Myanmar on basic oral care;

Promotion of oral hygiene through school-based toothbrushing programs;

Promotion of the availability of an affordable locally produced fluoride toothpaste with anti-caries efficacy.

The various components of the program will be evaluated after four years. In case the program proved to be successful, the Myanmar Ministry of Health has expressed her commitment to take over the ownership and extent the program in the existing Primary Health Care (PHC) system.