Tanden Frisk

AT A GLANCE

Project began: 2018

Location: Sweden

Aim: Help prevent and control oral hygiene diseases and conditions by spreading awareness and providing knowledge among socioeconomically deprived groups in Sweden. Particular focus: children, pregnant women, and the elderly.

Tanden Frisk is a dental health project within SOGH to address the knowledge gap in oral health caused by socioeconomic factors and lack of awareness. This project works to diminish inequality regarding oral health, dental caries frequency and improve oral health-related quality of life. This is done by educating key stakeholders and vulnerable groups, i.e., children, pregnant women, and the elderly, about oral health care, focusing on socioeconomically deprived groups in Sweden.

 

Addressing the knowledge gap in oral health

Within western society, it is widely acknowledged that oral health impacts the overall quality of life, yet oral diseases such as caries and periodontitis are common. Despite increased public knowledge regarding oral health, there is a vast knowledge gap between oral health care providers and patients regarding oral hygiene and personal oral health care. This dearth of knowledge may lead to poor dental status and a lack of motivation to improve oral hygiene and dental health. It is essential to increase patient understanding and give them the proper prerequisites to maintain adequate oral health. The focus of modern dentistry is the prevention of oral diseases such as caries. With appropriate home care, caries and other oral diseases can most often be prevented, or the progression is stopped or at least slowed down. In Sweden, more than 70% of the population visits the dentist regularly for check-ups and/or treatments. Despite this, caries are still common in the population (Socialstyrelsen 2018).

Workshops
Newly published studies show a continuing inequality regarding oral health and caries frequency based on socioeconomic factors. These studies show a relationship between socioeconomic status and oral health (Kramer, A. A et al.; Hakeberg, M. et al.). This inequality is something that Tanden Frisk works to diminish.
 
Workshops were usually held in classrooms and consisted of a theoretical and a practical part. The theoretical part is an interactive presentation held for the children, including games such as “guess the amount of sugar in different food items.” In the practical part, the children use plaque coloring to color their teeth to later brush the plaque away themselves.
 
The workshops have been significantly appreciated by both the children and the teachers. They have given us, the project managers, the fuel to improve our workshops.
Our history
Tanden Frisk is the project that took over Friska Gaddar. Friska Gaddar aimed to promote the dental health of unaccompanied refugee children in Stockholm. The target group consisted of youths in senior high school between 15-19 years. Friska Gaddar conducted a couple of workshops in Järfälla before Tanden Frisk took over.
Recent work
Recently, we are trying to include new perspectives to our project by developing interdisciplinary collaborations that aid in achieving our mission: To help prevent and control oral hygiene diseases and conditions by spreading awareness and providing the knowledge, networks, opportunities, and interdisciplinary collaborations that promote better oral health behaviors, effective public health practices, and programs among vulnerable groups, i.e., children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
 
For more information on Tanden Frisk, please contact our project managers Aya El Hajj and Carolina Garcia Sanchez at tandenfrisk@sogh.se.
Check out our related blog posts!

Moms’ Gums Matter – Oral Health Blog Series (3)

Tanden Frisk is back with the third part of our Oral Health Blog Series. Today, we spotlight women’s oral health during pregnancy, the specific causes, and risks of periodontal diseases.

Minding the tooth gap

The Tanden Frisk team is back with our oral health blog series. This month, we put the spotlight on the world’s most prevalent health condition usually hidden in the darkness of oral cavities: dental caries.

Be proud of your mouth with Tanden Frisk – Oral Health Series (1)

It’s World Oral Health Day! On this special occasion the Tanden Frisk team launches a new blog series on oral health in vulnerable population groups and how their targeted projects will look like in the future.

Go green with your teeth clean

Toothbrushing is the first thing most of us do every morning. But how can we make this daily habit more sustainable? To help you out, our Tanden Frisk team has put together a survival guide on eco-friendly oral hygiene.

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