Community Dentistry I

Dr. Mabel M. Barrion

HEALTH
Itis the state of being free of signs or symptoms of
disease. –Medical Model (M.B. Belloc & L. Breslow 1972)
* This means that if man’s system, organs are
functioning & does not manifest any abnormality as it
responds to the demand of the internal or external
environment then he is considered healthy.

“ It is a constantly changing state.” – Health Illness

Continuum (McCann/Flynn & Heffron 1984
* Because of the various factors present in the encironment & as man
interacts with it, his health status changes & it will not remain the
same forever. His cells survives within specific time frame & for
certain it contributes in the quality his production.
“Itis the ability to perform all those roles from which one
has been socialized.”-
Role Performance Model (Parsons 1958)

* Wehave to accept that there are certain norms w/in a

society that are acceptable w/in that boundary, bec. Of the influence
of culture, there are certain health beliefs that are expected for an
individual to practice. He is therefore considered healthy if he
performs all the expectations imposed on him specifically on health
activities.

“Itis the state of complete physical, mental, social well-

being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” –
WHO 1974

* Man to be considered healthy has to possess a functional

body system, can think rationally, and should interact with society
effectively & it is not just the absence of any abnormality in his body
system.

“Functioning to one’s maximum potential while

maintaining balance and purposeful direction in the
environment.” –High Level Wellness (Dunn 1961)
 • Man to be considered healthy has to maintain a
continuous balance w/in the environment he is
functioning.
•
“It is a state in which needs are being sufficiently met that
allow an individual to function successfully in life with the
ability to achieve the highest potential.” – Needs Fulfillment Model
Man to be considered healthy has to satisfy his needs not
just being happy of what happening around him.

3 Basic Strategies to Promote Health

Advocacy –needed to heighten public awareness & interest to
impel societal forces that influence public policy and resources
to support health.

 Support- to foster healthful social norm alliances & systems

that are sensitive & responsive to health needs & concerns of
people.

 Empowerment- to help people develop knowledge & skills to

make positive health choices & the ability to act individually &
collectively to improve health.

Factors Affecting Health

Internal Factors
a. Heredity - genetic transmission of traits
from parents to offspring.
b. Coping mechanisms of an individual

 External Factors
a. Political- involves one’s leadership, how he/she
rules, manages, & involves other people in
decision making.

b. Cultural- relates to the representation of

nonphysical traits (values, beliefs,
attitudes, & customs) shared by a group of
people & passed from one generation to
the next.
 c. Socio-economic- refers to the production
activities, distribution and consumption of
goods of an individual.

Health education includes:

disease prevention
 health maintenance
 health promotion
- refers to the actions that intended to
improve and enable individual to take
advantage of preventive procedures by
reducing or eliminating access barriers.

HEALTH EDUCATION
It is a process that informs, motivates
and helps persons to adopt & maintain
health practices and lifestyles.
 It includes training and research.


Factors that Affects Health Education

age
 sex
 cultural issues
 disabilities (pxs w/ psychological problems, mental
retardation)
 methods and strategies (using health models)
Socio-economic factors

COMMUNITY
It is a group of people or inhabitants
living in a certain territory with their own
boundaries, rules and regulations,
sharing common goals and inspirations,
interacting with each other.

It is a collection of people, a population, or a

group of people having something in common.
 It is a collection of people who share same
attribute of their lives.
 Its members know and interact with each
other.
It maybe that they live in the same locale,
attend a particular church or even share a
particular interest.
 It is used to indicate a collection of people
who live in a specified geographic area that is
of a limited size.

Factors Involved in a Community

people must have professional
competence
Strong leadership & involvement in
community efforts
unity

Community Health or Public Health (Winslow

1920) It is the science and art of preventing
diseases, prolonging life and promoting
physical health and efficiency through
organized community efforts for the following
reasons:
 1. sanitation of the environment
2. control of community diseases
3. education of the individual in personal
hygiene
4. organization of medical, dental and nursing
services for the early diagnosis and prevention of a
particular disease
5. development of a social machinery to ensure
every individual an adequate standard of health, so
organizing these benefits as to enable every citizen to
realize his birthright of health and longevity.

Public Health
It is concerned w/ keeping people as healthy as possible and
controlling or limiting factors that impede health.
 It determines the health status of the community.
 It identifies populations potentially affected or at risk for a
particular problem.
 It analyzes the dimensions of the problem through the use of
epidemiologic methodology.
 It plans, implements and evaluates the appropriate
dimensions.