Aarhus dismantles 70 percent of school dental clinics

The great shortage of dentists and the children improved dental health, will now Aarhus municipality to change the current structure of the dental field. School dental clinics is reduced by approx. 70 percent and dentists must gather in large clinics.

The city council of Aarhus municipality decided Wednesday night to bring together school dentists on 10-16 large clinics, rather than the current 43 smaller school clinics spread over the city's 49 elementary schools, Jyllands-Posten. At the schools in the future will be without dentist will instead be clinics with dental hygienists and dental assistants, who must provide preventive dental care.

The new structure of the dental field to be implemented over the next 10 years, and the reason is, besides that it's difficult to get dentists to the municipality that the children in Aarhus will have fewer and fewer holes.

The current structure dates back to the 1970s when a dentist only treated 400 children and adolescents, where they currently have to deal with around 1,500 children and adolescents. In the 1970s, had children and young people in Aarhus on average drilled in five teeth per year. Today, the average small 0.7 wells per year. The expectation is that in future only be needed for 30 dentists in municipal dental care in Aarhus.

The new developments in the dental field in Aarhus municipality is also a consequence of the increasing dental gap. And the trend is towards fewer and larger clinics where there are more dentists working in teams. Many young dentists prefer the fellowship they find on a clinic with several dentists.

Social Democrats and SF are skeptical about the structural changes
"We advocate the nomination, but we want an assurance that you place a part of future dental clinics, where they are needed. They should not be added after a spredekam, but where need is greatest, "said Steen B. Andersen (S), Jyllands-Posten. Steen was so worried about the new model that he also wanted an evaluation after the first year.

One of the biggest challenges in the new model of dental care field is the so-called socially disadvantaged groups who typically have more tooth decay than their peers. They must have a positive action in relation to which future large clinics should be located in the municipality.

Claus Thomas Mountain (SF), said to Jyllands-Posten that he is concerned that children in the future to spend time on transport to get to the dentist.

"Many parents have to take time off of work to get their children to the dentist. This may mean that they prefer dental treatment out until it fits with their work, "argued Thomas Claus Bjerg on.

SF suggested to soften up the change so that the larger units must be supplemented with four mobile dental units, which can run around to the clinics.

Gert Bjerregaard from the Liberal Party pointed out, like Social Democrat Steen B. Andersen, the clinics will be located in the areas of greatest need and that there also must be easily accessible by public transport in the areas.

"So we avoid that children spend too much time on transportation, and it takes time from teaching," said Gert Bjerregaard told Jyllands-Posten, and highlighted the main objective of the new structure is that dentists have to work in larger units of learning from each other and thus obtain experience.

Location and cost of the large clinics
We have not been named, what schools to house the new large clinics. But in Aarhus municipality report on the new structure is the following schools listed as bid on schools in the future to house the large clinics Møllevangsskolen, Vejlby School Lystrup School Tovshøjskolen, Kragelund School and Vestergård School.

The large dental clinics should have three to five dental team and the establishment costs of a single large clinic is expected to be around 8.5 million. The total cost for the new dental structure is expected to amount to 100 million. kr and an unknown amount of transportation of particularly vulnerable children.