Vietnam/ The "school-dispensary" model for good oral health among schoolchildren
Building on the remarkable success of the first two pilot phases of the school-based oral health care program conducted in 2024, the Ho Chi Minh City Health Department launched the 3rd phase of the project between March 12 and April 18, 2025. Deployed in seven elementary school located in districts 1, 5, 6 as well as in Cần Giờ district, this phase saw the active participation of 6,540 pupils.
The results confirm a clear and progressive reduction in the prevalence of oral diseases over the course of the interventions. The overall rate of caries fell from 64% in the first phase to 51% in the second, and 40% in the third. In detail, decay in temporary teeth fell from 49% to 33%, while decay in permanent teeth dropped from 27% to just 8%. Most notably, decay in the first permanent molars was dramatically reduced, from 22% to 7%. At the same time, gingivitis improved significantly, from 45% to just 10%.
These data clearly illustrate the positive impact of the program in the early detection, follow-up and effective management of dental problems in children. Detected cases are immediately reported to teachers and parents to enable referral to appropriate care. In addition, preventive measures are systematically put in place: 100% of pupils examined receive fluoride varnish, and children identified as being at risk receive prophylactic sealing of the dental grooves.
Particularly encouraging is the fact that the improvement in dental health was uniformly observed across all participating classes and localities. This finding reinforces the relevance of the model and its suitability for scaling up.
The "school-dispensary" model offers many concrete advantages. It enables free dental care to be provided directly on the school premises, considerably reducing costs and travel for families. In addition, schools can monitor the oral health status of their pupils in real time via the management system available at https://quanlyskcd.medinet.org.vn, enabling them to adopt targeted and effective action plans.
For the health sector, this model not only collects valuable epidemiological data on children's oral health, but also helps to strengthen the professional skills of local medical staff. This is an important step towards improving the overall quality of community health care.
On the strength of the promising results obtained during the three pilot phases conducted over two years, Ho Chi Minh City plans to extend the model on a larger scale from the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. With the joint support of the health and education sectors and society as a whole, this initiative aims to produce a generation of healthy, confident and fulfilled students who will embody the values of a healthy society.confident and fulfilled, fully embodying Ho Chi Minh City's commitment to the protection and integral development of young people, in a safe, modern and sustainable educational environment.
Source: lecourrier.vn/
