 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Clemencia M. Vargas, DDS, PhD, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, University of Maryland Dental School, 666 West Baltimore St. Room 3-E-11, Baltimore, MD 21201, 410 706-2678, cmv001@dental.umaryland.edu, Richard R. Scott, PhD, Department of Sociology, American University, 4400 Massachusettes Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20016, and YiHong Li, DDS, MPH, DrPH, New York University College of Dentistry, 345 East 24th Street, New York, NY 10010.
Although Cuba is a developing nation, it’s demographic and health indicators are comparable to those of developed countries despite the constraints that have been imposed by the US blockade. Since the revolution in 1957, the Cuban health care system has fostered health promotion through education and prevention. Thus, education and prevention have served as mechanisms to promote health in the absence of basic health supplies and other resources that cannot be obtained by direct scientific exchange with other countries. In April 2003 we visited Cuba with a dental public health delegation. During this visit we had the opportunity to interview various Cuban health providers and government officials and to visit several health facilities, including one in a rural area. We were able to make several observations about Cuba’s health care system and oral health indicators. First, oral health is considered part of general health and as such receives the same emphases and is subject to the same limitations. Second, while the U.S. blockade has limited the resources available for oral health, the emphasis on prevention has mitigated its potentially negative effects on the oral health of Cuban population. Third, the effectiveness of the mechanisms used to promote health relies to some extent on the Cuban political system. This presentation will discuss the Cuban oral health care system and the role of prevention in achieving good oral health. We will also suggest some ways in which future political changes may affect the Cuban health care system.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Oral Health, Health Care Delivery
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.