PREVENTIVE PROJECT

IADS is trying to promote the importance of preventive oral health care trough uniting preventive projects around the globe. Here sharing information and tricks makes it easier for Local Associations to run their projects.

We all know that preventive is much better, more effective and on long term much cheaper that curative.

This project is designed to raise overall public awareness on dental diseases, caries and promote better health care.

We try to start teaching people on their first page of the book of life showing them that dentist is here to help them, not to cause them pain.

IADS also helps all member universities and associations in conducting a preventive program at their home countries and collect the results statistically using the unique IADS formula.

Project is working on many levels:

· Prophylaxis in Kindergartens: Focusing on kids in kindergartens and in schools, teaching them the importance of prophylaxis and helping them overcome the “fear of the white coat”. Here we plan our own visits to kindergartens, make public events and we have also joined forces with IFMSA in participating in their “Teddy Bear Project”

· Women in 2^nd stage: We are pointing out the importance of oral hygiene during their pregnancy and educating them how to take first steps for her newborn in oral hygiene

· Diabetic Prevention: we are helping the diabetic patients to fight with their disadvantage towards perfect oral health with various lectures and products

· Oncologic Prevention: Help patients in chemotherapy to maintain their oral health or at least allow it to worsen minimally.

· We have joined forces with IFMSA on another project, working on their Human Rights which takes us to rural areas of our own countries, or work in other institutions (special needs centers, asylums) where access to doctor or dentist is somewhat difficult, having lectures, advising and examinations for those in need

1. Kindergartens: we know that first contact(s) with your dentist are ground for future relation with them. Myths of torture, pain and horrifying sounds are normal among children. The question is: why do we even get to these stories? Who is responsible and how can we prevent that?

We can not find who is responsible, more, we can say, we are all responsible for them. Parent that do not teach children how to brush properly and oversee them, Dentists that do not see children before it is too late and kids who are undereducated and in a way abandoned to face caries on their own.

We feel, that getting to children before they have real caries problems, teach them about the dangers and proper techniques trough play, showing them that contact with dentist is not necessary pain and drilling will in time form a strong bond between kids and dentist. This way they will feel more secure going to see a dentist clinic and have more motivation to brush.

Our part here is not curative, but completely preventive. Our ideas is that students would visit local kindergartens on frequent occasions, ensuring that they see same child every 6 months, check their statuses and improve their brushing techniques. This way a child will receive minimum of 3-8 visits of a dental student and will be well educated before going to grammar school.

World Oral Health Day

In honor of Dr Charles Godon -the founder of FDI- birthday and to celebrate the anniversary of the groundbreaking WHO’s International Conference on Primary Health Care Alma Ata, which took place in 1978, 12^th September was chosen to be the World Oral Health day with the aim to provide an occasion for global, regional and national activities related to oral health.

As the daughter association of the FDI (world dental federation) IADS coordinates and motivates various oral health related events among its member countries across the globe ensuring the celebration of such an important event.

There is a scheme offered by the IADS as well as a detailed plan on how to conduct such a day , in 2009, World Oral Health Day was celebrated through big events that included dental health awareness programs for children and adults in many of our member countries that covered three continents , celebrations took place in Armenia, Croatia,Hungary and Nigeria.