Community Oral Health Outreach Program (COHOP) Who We Are The mission of the Division of Public Oral Health is to promote oral health and prevent oral diseases through the provision of services, training and research. The project has consistently provided essential and much needed oral health care to many thousands of people over a twenty-year period. COHOP is a vital "vehicle" for taking oral health care to the people who need it most. Objectives COHOP applies the Primary Health Care Approach with its emphasis on equity, health promotion and disease prevention, basic care and pain relief. It applies appropriate technology and the effective use of auxiliary personnel (i.e. dental therapists and oral hygienists) with the support and guidance of a dentist. COHOP provides a high standard of basic dentistry and has also the objectives of creating a greater awareness of the importance of oral health, increasing knowledge of oral health and encouraging self responsibility and self reliance in the use of proven preventative measures and methods. Services COHOP services include: Oral screening for common diseases including caries, periodontal disease and oral manifestations of HIV/AIDS Oral health education and brushing programs in schools Primary oral health services including Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART); scaling and polishing; fissure sealants; extractions; medication and referrals. The program has served many disadvantaged communities in South Africa. More recently the service has been limited to Gauteng, Limpopo and North West Provinces. Using a Mobile Dental Unit (MDU), COHOP renders oral care in those areas where government facilities are not available to the communities in which it operates. Technical aspects of the Unit have also been constantly upgraded. A new unique Unit has recently been developed following a grant from the Japanese Embassy. Training and Research COHOP serves as a platform for clinical training for clinicians in the public dental service as well as dentists, dental therapists, oral hygienists in private practice and undergraduate dental and oral hygienist students. COHOP research contributes to further knowledge in health services and the effective implementation of World Health Organisation endorsed treatments such as minimal intervention dentistry and ART in communities. Funding The interest generated by the above in bringing the work of COHOP to the public attention has enhanced the image of Wits. This exposure to the wider community has created an awareness of the important work of the project, which has resulted in generous support from the donor community. However, the ever increasing need amongst many communities, particularly children, for these oral health services has resulted in our Division being constantly approached for provision of much needed services. Due to the socio-economic status of the communities served, COHOP is unable to generate income and therefore is dependent on funders to support the ongoing work to many indigent communities. Achievements COHOP has demonstrated that it is an effective and viable means of making primary oral care services accessible and available to large numbers of school children and adults in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. Some of our recent achievements include: We have provided a viable and effective Oral Health Care Delivery Model for Provincial Governments. The North West, Limpopo and Gauteng Provinces utilize mobile units for delivery of oral health care. We have provided an important platform for research resulting in pioneering studies in health services research, health education and new treatment modalities and appropriate technology. Dentists, dental students and development workers from USA, UK, Europe, African countries and locally have gained valuable experience while working on the unit. COHOP has created a greater awareness in the many disadvantaged communities regarding oral health as well as career opportunities in dentistry. We have been a platform for other important projects such as the establishment of a Health Promotion Unit (HPU) in the School of Public Health. Billiton donated one million rands towards this new HP project. The Health Education Package for Dentistry, another project within the broader activities, was awarded best preventative dentistry program by the International Dental Federation. The project has been a fine example of implementing World Health Organization concepts such as the Primary Health Care Approach and the ART technique. COHOP has proved to be an important platform for clinical training of dental operations from various provincial services, in new appropriate methods procedures (e.g. ART training). Contact Us Professor MJ Rudolph Division of Community Dentistry Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand 10th Floor Medical School Room 10Q20, 7 York Road Parktown, Johannesburg, 2193 South Africa Tel: 011-717-2593/4 Fax: 011-717-2625 Cell: 082-492-4768 Email: rudolphmj@sph.wits.ac.za