Abstract:

Fluoride applications are very important in preventive oral health services. The aim of this study is to evaluate the national data of topical fluoride applications in Turkey for the effective planning of services related to oral and dental health care. This study includes a retrospective cross-sectional analysis, between the years 2012 and 2014, covering 81 provinces in Turkey. For the study, data were taken from The Ministry of Health Public Hospitals, Oral and Dental Health Centers and Dental Hospitals and data evaluation and status analysis of fluoride applications, classified according to years and regions, were carried out. According to the results, the admission rates per capita were 0.13, 0.19 and 0.20% while the prevalence of fluoride application was 0.97, 2.81 and 2.17% of the overall population for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. Of the admissions, 7.7, 14.55 and 11.12% were topically fluoridated for years 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. The number of dentists per 100,000 people was 25.30, 26.30 and 28.00, corresponding to years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The number of fluoride applied patients per dentist was 20.14, 90.68 and 63.50 for the years 2012, 2013 and 2014. The fluoride application numbers per dental unit were 81.24 in 2013 and 54.62 in 2014, while the numbers of people per dental unit were 3.674 and 3.425 for the same years. In conclusion, more people could be reached and treatment costs could be decreased by proper planning and the effective use of oral and dental health services.

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