Community Oral Health Principles Flashcards

Which measure best reflects the severity of periodontal disease at the population level?

Answer: Community Periodontal Index (CPI)

The Community Periodontal Index (CPI) is specifically designed to assess periodontal conditions in population surveys, recording pocket depth, calculus, and bleeding.

The concept of 'health literacy' in oral health education refers to:

Answer: A person's ability to obtain, process, and understand health information to make appropriate decisions

Health literacy is the degree to which individuals can obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.

School-based dental sealant programs are most effective when targeting which teeth in which age group?

Answer: First permanent molars in 6- to 8-year-olds

First permanent molars erupt around age 6 and are the most caries-prone teeth; sealing them shortly after eruption in 6- to 8-year-olds maximizes prevention benefits.

In epidemiological terms, 'incidence' refers to:

Answer: The number of new cases of a disease occurring in a defined population over a specific time period

Incidence measures new cases arising in a population over a defined time period, distinguishing it from prevalence, which counts all existing cases.

Which federal agency is primarily responsible for monitoring the nation's oral health through surveillance systems such as NHANES?

Answer: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The CDC conducts the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which includes oral health examinations and is the primary source of national oral health surveillance data.

An oral health program that provides fluoride varnish to WIC participants demonstrates which level of prevention?

Answer: Primary prevention

Fluoride varnish applied to healthy or at-risk children prevents caries from occurring, making it a primary prevention intervention.