Caries prevention programs for children based on the current health care system in Poland

Prevention is the most effective element of measures to promote oral health. The authors have conducted an analysis of the current health system in Poland with particular emphasis put on caries prevention focused on children. It is worth noting that in the first days of life a midwife introduces „the area of dental prophylaxis“. In subsequent years of life i.e. 2, 4, 6, 10, 13, 16, 19, both the dentist and the primary care doctor provide prophylactic services. More preventive actions are organized in primary school (grades I-VI), where group fluoride prophylaxis and education in oral health are carried out by a nurse/school hygienist. The effects of preventive measures, as measured by epidemiological studies presented among others in the reports from the Monitoring of Oral Health by the Ministry of Health, show that the adopted regulations are unsatisfactory. It is necessary to carry out a public information campaign on the negative consequences of neglecting disease prevention and the consequences of incorrect early treatment of oral cavity diseases and their influence over the proper development of children.