Faculty of Dentistry- Taibah UniversityIntroduction to Dental Public Health (PDS 111)

Introduction toPublic Health

HEALTHHealth is a state of complete physical,

mental and social well being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

SPECTRUM OF HEALTHIdeal healthPositive healthNegative or marginal healthIn apparent diseaseApparent diseaseDeath

Ideal health: This conforms to the WHO definition of

health

Positive health

Perfect continuing adjustment between the individual and the environment.

This definition indicates that health is a positive dynamic interaction between the individual and his surroundings with proper acclimatization to maintain health.

Negative or marginal health: If the individual is in a state of

equilibrium, he looks healthy, but he has no ability to adjust himself to his surroundings, then he is going to fall ill on the slightest adverse stimulus.

In-apparent disease: Disease is a state of departure from

normal to the extent that the ordinary physiologic processes of the tissues and organs are not enough to restore the body to its normal functions. Unapparent disease (also called pre-clinical) is not recognized by the individual, but can be discovered by examination and screening tests.

Apparent disease: The individual is aware that s/he is

suffering from an illness, whether s/he seeks medical care or not.

Epidemiology (Epi = on, and demos = people)

Epidemiology is the subject concerned with study of what happens to people when involved by disease, whether communicable or non-communicable

It is defined as the study of distribution, frequency, determinants, and dynamics of diseases in human populations.

Factors affecting the occurrence of a disease

Human being (host factors)Environment Causative Agent

Host FactorsHeredity and genetic factorsAge and sex Health statusPrevious immunologic experiencePhysiologic stateLife style: e.g. smoking.Socio-economic status

Environmental Factors

The physical environmentThe Biologic environmentThe social/cultural environment

Disease Causation and Epidemiological Triad:

Risk Factors and Etiological Factors:

Simple disease caustaion & Multiple risk factors

Causative Agent:Biologic agentsNutritional agentsChemical agents: Examples are poisons,

insecticides, and even some drugs.Physical agents: Excessive heat or cold ,

electricity, irradiation, ....Mechanical agents: causing injuries or accidents.Metabolic agents: e.g., phenylketonuria,

galactosemia,..Genetic agents: as in Down's syndrome.Functional: Dysfunction of certain organs or gland

may produce disease, e.g., Diabetes Mellitus.

Risk Factors:These are factors that make an individual,

a family, a group of individuals, or a community, more prone to a specific disease due to the presence of a certain factor which is not the direct causative agent.

The causative agent may be known or unknown.

The risk factors are related to the host or his/her self specific environment.

PUBLIC HEALTHPublic health is "the art and science of

promoting health, preventing disease and increasing the span of healthy life through organized efforts of the society".

Another definition, which has almost the same meaning "public health can be defined as the combination of sciences, skills and beliefs that are directed to the maintenance and improvement of the health of all the people."

Essential public health functions includes:

Protection of the environmentHealth educationHealth legislation, and health regulationsPrevention and control of communicable

diseasesCare for special groups as mothers,

children, and workers in certain hazardous occupations

Assessment of health needs, plans and supports the provision of health care services to the population

Community Health / Community Medicine:

Is the application of the principles of public health to communities.

A community is a group of individuals sharing an identity, culture, and operates through common institutions and organizations. A health Center in a rural or an urban area is responsible for the health of the community they serve within their catchment area.

 

Preventive Medicine:is the science and art of application of the

different levels of prevention at the population, community, and individual levels.

PATTERNS OF CAREPREVENTIVE CARECURATIVE CARE

Levels of Prevention:Primary

Health Promotion Specific Prevention

Secondary Early detection of diseases Prompt and appropriate treatment

Tertiary Rehabilitation

Patterns of curative care:Emergency careEpisodic careContinuous careTerminal care

Comparison between clinical medicine and community medicine

Clinical Medicine Community Medicine_________________________________________________________________Objective Patient cure Health improvement

Information Complaint, history morbidity, mortality and related factors

Investigations Laboratory tests, Survey studies

X-ray, other testsDiagnosis Differential diagnosis Community diagnosis &

priority setting

Resources Available therapy Health & Health related services

Management Treatment Health programs

Evaluation Follow-up of patient Assessment of health status

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