BHUTAN – Dental Camps in the Most Isolated Communities of the Country
The project intervenes in an isolated area of Bhutan, at over 4,000 meters above sea level in the district of Gasa, to improve the health of the oral cavity of people living in conditions of exclusion and vulnerability, guaranteeing free access to visits, dental care and prevention education.
The intervention strategy is based on the organization of mobile dental camps capable of reaching the most isolated communities in the country, overcoming the geographical barriers that limit access to health services. The intervention aims to improve the health conditions of the beneficiary population and experiment with a replicable model of dental care in the most remote areas of Bhutan.
The context
Despite the efforts made by the Government of Bhutan to ensure universal health coverage, access to dental services remains highly uneven, especially in rural and mountainous areas of the country. More than 70% of the territory is made up of inaccessible and high-altitude areas, characterized by isolated villages and often not connected to the road network. About half of the population still lives in rural contexts, where access to modern health services is limited.
Oral health is one of the areas most penalized by these critical issues. The distribution of health professionals is concentrated in the main urban centers and much of the territory is devoid of permanent dental facilities. The most isolated communities are therefore forced to travel long distances to access care, incurring economic and social costs that are often incompatible with their living conditions.
The most frequently encountered oral cavity pathologies include untreated caries, periodontal diseases, root residues and acute dental infections. In addition to these, there is a limited awareness of the importance of prevention and oral hygiene. According to data from the World Health Organization, untreated caries affects about 43% of children between 1 and 9 years of age and almost 30% of the population over 5 years of age, while more than 23% of adults suffer from severe forms of periodontal disease.
Activities
During the project, a mobile dental camp will be organized aimed at offering dental care to people in socio-economic disadvantaged conditions. The free provision of care will also be an opportunity to convey to the beneficiaries notions of oral hygiene education, in order to preserve the health of the oral cavity and prevent further diseases.
