Dental Health International Nederland

Where there is no dentist

This book is a companion volume to the village health care handbook 'Where there is no doctor'.
Together, the books encourage people to take the lead in caring for their own health.
This approach to health care implies respect for the dignity of all persons, as well as confidence in their resourcefulness.

Village health workers can use this book to help people care for their teeth and gums. Health workers begin with the felt needs of people - treating the dental problems they have now.
Then they work to prevent the same problems from returning.

Thus, 'Where there is no dentist' shows how to diagnose and treat dental problems, and also suggests new ways to work for better dental health in the community.

The book can be obtained from: The Hesperian Foundation
A healthy tooth is a living part of the body. It is connected by 'life-Iines' of blood and nerve to a person's heart and brain. To separate the tooth from the body, or even to interrupt those 'life-Iines', means death to the tooth. It also means pain and injury to the body, to the person.
Let us look at it another way. The health of the teeth and gums is related to the health of the whole person, just as the well being of a person relates to the health of the entire community.
Because of this, the usual separation between dentistry and general health care is neither reasonable nor healthy. Basic care of the teeth and gums -both preventive and curative- should be part of the 'know-how' of all primary health care workers. Ideally, perhaps, Where There Is No Dentist should be a part of 'Where There Is No Doctor.'  Think of it as a companion volume, both to Where There Is No Doctor and Helping Health Workers Learn.
Murray Dickson has taken care to write this book in a way that will help the readers see dental care as part of community health and development. The approach is what we call 'people centred.
Where there is No Dentist is a book about what people can do for themselves and each other to care for their gums and teeth. It is written for:

village and neighbourhood health workers who want to learn more about dental care as part of a complete community-based approach to health;
school teachers, mothers, fathers, and anyone concerned with encouraging dental health in their children and their community; and
those dentists and dental technicians who are looking for ways to share their skills, to help people become more self-reliant at lower cost.
Just as with the rest of health care, there is a strong need to deprofessionalise dentistry-to provide ordinary people and community workers with more skills to prevent and cure problems in the mouth.
After all, early care is what makes the dentist's work unnecessary-and this is the care that each person gives to his or her own teeth, or what a mother does to protect her children's teeth.