Oral health in Finland and the Soviet Union. A joint study

To develop the functions of a health care system it is essential to compare and evaluate the systems of different countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) has emphasized the importance of collaborative studies in the field of epidemiology. In countries with similar social systems the basis for health care is usually the same. Comparison of health care in such countries is relatively easy because in most cases the criteria for functions, diagnosis, etc. are similar. Comparison of countries having different bases for health care and different philosophies of research is much more complicated and time-consuming. Soviet health care, including oral health care, is based on community responsibility and has complex prophylaxis as its main emphasis. In the USSR there are no private dentists. All dental services are available at polyclinics located either near the place of residence or at the work place. In Finland there are two separate systems for oral health care. Children up to the age of 18 and some special groups of the adult population (pregnant women, military recruits, and students) are treated in municipal polyclinics (called health centres in Finland). Otherwise, the adult population is treated mainly by private dentists. The study will be carried out in three towns in Finland and six towns in the USSR. The aim of this study is to describe the causal epidemiology of dental caries among children 6 to 7, 9 and 12 years old in Finland and the Soviet Union. In addition, certain measures and compounds for caries prevention will be tested during 3 years of follow-up.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)