2. Introduction
The health network of Iran is an integrated public health system
with a four-level Dental Health Care System integrated into it by
1997.
3. . The first level is one of primary prevention at ‘health houses’,
at the next, oral hygienists and dentists in health centres
perform basic oral health care services such as fillings, scaling
and extractions. At the third level, dentists manage and treat
oral diseases in ‘urban health centres, while the last level is for
advanced treatment by specialists in university health centres in
the big cities.
4. Oral and dental services
Dental services are provided by both public and private sectors.
In the rural areas, which include 40% of the country's
population, oral health services are mostly delivered by the
governmental sector (70%), while 80% of the service delivery is
offered by private sector in the cities'.
5. Ratios
There are about 13,000 dentists nationwide (1 dentist: 5,500 population)
and nearly 1,200 specialists in universities and private practices.
Data from surveys in the past two decades, show a marked decline in
dental caries from DMFT of 4 to 1.5 in 12-year-old children. However, the
general level of oral health is still not satisfactory, particularly among
children.
6. The percentage of caries-free children (deciduous and permanent
teeth) among 6- and 9-year-olds is 13.8 and 11.5 respectively and
more than 50% of 12-year-old children have caries experience, with
the decayed component being the greatest component. The main
objective would be to cope with the dental caries problem in primary
teeth and, in this respect, the national oral health plan should be
aimed at developing oral hygiene skills, reducing the frequency of
sugar intake, instituting water fluoridation, improving access to
fissure sealants and regular dental care, and finally promoting dental
health services toward minimum treatment intervention and
effective preventive strategies and health promotion
7. Health programs aimed at children and young people
composed of four levels: health houses, rural health
centres, urban health centres and district centres. After
1979, the Ministry of Health and Medical Education
designed the new health system based on the Primary
Health Care (PHC) network.
8. A Provincial Health Centre provides managerial, technical and
logistic support to district health centres and is responsible for
planning, monitoring and evaluation of health programmes at
provincial level. It is supervised by the Oral Health Department of
the Ministry of Health and Medical Education at the national level“.
