Caries and periodontal diseases are a neglected epidemic by millions of
Italians who suffer unnecessarily from them. Both diseases are preventable
and the combination of high prevalence, high morbidity and relative inattention
from the National Health Service (NHS), makes caries and periodontal
disease a significant public health problem. In this perspective, the World
Health Organization and the University of Milan have promoted a national
epidemiological study aimed at a sample of 4, 6 and 12-years-old students
from schools in the North, Central and South of Italy. The study provides for
the administration of a questionnaire to parents and a dental examination
carried out at school by dentists trained by the WHO.
In our town the epidemiological study planning and the survey were carried
out by professors of the School of Specialization in "Pediatric Dentistry"
(Prof. G. Giuliana and Prof. G. Pizzo) supported by specialist dentists from
the same School, calibrated according to the WHO methodology.
The survey was carried out between 2017 and 2019 involving 2701 children
attending schools in the 8 districts of the town.
The parents were sent a letter which explained the nature of the survey
and contained a pre-printed form for the issue of informed consent to participate
in the survey with a questionnaire regarding the family nuclear, the
oral hygiene and eating habits of the minor and the child's previous dental
experiences.
The ICDAS (International Caries Detection and Assessment System) was
used to detect the prevalence of carious lesions. The dentist used for each
child visited a dental mirror and the CPI (Community Periodontal Index)
index for periodontal assessment.
Preliminary results showed that 25.3% of 12-years-old students had gingival
bleeding and 41.1% had tartar.
The caries index (ICDAS) shows us that as early as 4 years, 20% of children
have initial carious lesions, 37% have dentine caries and that 34.38%
have highly destructive caries.
At 12 years, 34.95% had initial carious lesions, 46% had cavities that already
affected dentin and that 42.44% had highly destructive cavities.
The exigence to implement a program of prevention / early treatment of
caries/gingivitis in pediatric subjects living in Palermo, since the first months
of child's life, was born from the data analysis. The project "Un sorriso per
54
tutti i bambini", carried out at the U.O. of "Pediatric Dentistry" of Policlinico
Paolo Giaccone in Palermo, was therefore finalised in order to
1) improve efficiency and effectiveness in the promotion of the oral health
of minors, through the creation of a preventive / assistance route of significant
social health impact;
2) assess the effectiveness of the preventive methodologies adopte
