The Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs has expanded accessibility to pediatric dental care. Now, families can schedule appointments with the primary dentist for children aged 0 to 15 through the usual external channels of the Andalusian health service: the phone and ‘app’ of Salud Responde (955 54 50 60), the ClicSalud+ platform, and the ‘app’ Salud Andalucía.
This improvement is part of the update of the service portfolio of the Comprehensive Dental Health Plan of Andalusia (PISBDA), which has recently included children aged 0 to 5, with the goal of strengthening the prevention and early detection of oral problems from the early years of life. The measure places special emphasis on age ranges that are priorities for oral health: children aged 2 to 3, 6, and 12.
With this initiative, the government is giving a new boost to promotion and prevention in pediatric oral health, in coordination with pediatricians, infant-youth nursing professionals, and nursing professionals in educational centers, who will recommend that families attend the annual check-up with the primary dentist.
The Andalusian Health Service currently has 235 dental offices distributed throughout the community, ensuring accessible care within less than 30 minutes from any basic health zone. This network is being reinforced through an improvement plan that includes equipment renewal, the creation of new offices in Primary and Hospital Care, and the addition of new instruments, with a total investment of 27,999,061 euros.
In addition, six new teams composed of a dentist and a Nursing Auxiliary Care Technician (TCAE) have been hired to reinforce Primary Care centers with higher population ratios, as well as seven more dentists for hospital care. These additions are accompanied by specific training and update programs.
Oral health in Andalusia
The Child Dental Care Service (PADI) of the Andalusian Health Service (SAS) has one of the most comprehensive service portfolios in the country. For the 0 to 5 age group, it includes check-ups, assessment of dietary and hygiene habits, early detection of caries risk, and minimal intervention for them.
For the 6 to 15 age group, it includes annual check-ups, education in hygiene and dietary advice, as well as prevention (sealants, fluoridation), caries treatment and pulp treatments in permanent teeth.
All of this is part of the Comprehensive Dental Health Plan of Andalusia (PISBDA) 2023-2027, which reflects the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs’ commitment to boosting and strengthening oral health care in the public health system of Andalusia.
The main goal, to reduce oral diseases in the population, aligns with the Ministry’s mission to work for the promotion and protection of the health of the population, through quality public health services, oriented towards efficiency and optimal use of resources, with guarantees of accessibility, equity in coverage, and user satisfaction.
In addition to the services included in the PADI, the PISBDA portfolio covers the oral health of pregnant women, patients with head and neck cancer, and people with disabilities. To access these services, these specific groups must go to the Citizen Care Unit of their reference health center.
The improvements of the PISBDA are supported by the Plan for the expansion of the common portfolio of dental health services in the national health system, which includes funding for the different autonomous communities.