One rural district - two dentists in the ÖGD
The Börde district is characterised by its rural structures and often long distances within the district boundaries. As a result, the fact that the Office for Health and Consumer Protection has one dentist and two dental assistants in the north and south of the district who work in a total of 222 facilities in the district has a positive effect. Both teams visit day-care centres, primary, secondary and special schools as well as grammar schools every school year and carry out on-site examinations and consultations. In total, around 15,000 children and young people can be examined every school year.
Focus on prevention
Two cornerstones of the activities of the youth dental service are dental check-ups and the implementation of group prophylactic measures in all daycare centres and schools in the district. For example, fluoridation measures, practising how to brush teeth properly together or organising a healthy breakfast take place in the facilities. The day-to-day work of the youth dental service is fundamentally focussed on prevention. Other tasks include networking and providing expert opinions for other public organisations and funding agencies.
Data for action
In addition to the practical work, the documentation and statistical processing of the collected data is an essential part of the activities. This makes it possible to collect and analyse the dental status of around 15,000 children and adolescents in the Börde district across the board.
As part of health reporting, this enables statements to be made about oral health and the need for prevention on the one hand and, on the other, to point out gaps in care. According to the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Consumer Protection, for example, it was found in the 2023/24 school year that 60.3% of 6-7-year-old children have naturally healthy teeth, while the state average for Saxony-Anhalt is only 51.4%.
The district of Börde ranks first among all districts in Saxony-Anhalt in terms of naturally healthy teeth.
For further information on the activities of the youth dental service in the Börde district or on the health reporting data, please contact the Office for Health and Consumer Protection on 03904/ 7240-2551.