EFFECTIVENESS OF DENTAL HOME CONCEPT AND PRINCIPLES

The Dental Home is not a new concept in pediatric dentistry. However, it has not yet been widely adopted by dental professionals in Bulgaria. Aim: to assess the impact of the Dental Home concept by comparing the oral health of children who have a Dental Home to those who do not. Materials and Methods: The study involved 200 children aged 3 to 6 years, selected from two separate dental practices staffed by pediatric dentistry specialists. In the first practice, the dentists adhered to the guidelines of the Dental Home concept, while in the second practice, they did not. The selected children were contacted by phone and invited for a routine preventive examination. During this examination, their DMF(T+t) index, Green-Vermillion Oral Hygiene Index (OHIs-GV), and PUFA index were assessed and compared. Results: The findings indicate that children with a Dental Home had lower values for all three indices compared to those in the control group. Conclusion: The Dental Home concept may enhance oral health in young children and reduce the DMFT (dmft), OHIs, and PUFA (pufa) indices.