We the undersigned (...), fully agree that health begins in the mouth. We also understand that negligence in this area can have serious consequences for health and life... -. Thus begins the Doctors and Patients Agreement for Oral Health, available for signature at www.petycjeonline.com. The initiators of the campaign are: Polish Dental Society (PTS) and the Institute for Patient Rights and Health Education. The project has already been supported by the leaders of the largest patient organisations in the country.
Agreement is the next stage of cooperation between the PTS and the Institute for Patient Rights and Health Education. Let us recall that the first was an online meeting as part of the CEDE virtual dental fair, attended by PTS experts: prof. Marzena Dominiak and prof. Tomasz Konopka, and the leaders of the largest patient organisations: Igor Grzesiak (Institute for Patient Rights and Health Education), Urszula Jaworska (Urszula Jaworska Foundation), Anna Śliwińska (Polish Association of Diabetes), Aleksandra Rudnicka (Polish Coalition of Oncology Patients) and Stanisław Maćkowiak (Polish Patients' Federation). A transcript of the meeting can be viewed in the Audytorim VDE by CEDE on www.vcede.pl.
- Our cooperation is an important step in the process of building dental awareness among Poles. We believe that the online meeting is the beginning of our activities. We want to pass on knowledge not only to the leaders of patient organisations, but to all their members. Knowledge, not just the very general knowledge that health begins in the mouth, that a beautiful smile is first and foremost a healthy smile. Patients with chronic diseases are often very medically aware people who understand the relationships between different parts of the body. However, we know that for many, the correlation between oral health and other diseases is still a surprise - emphasises Prof. Marzena Dominiak, President of the PTS.
The head of the PTS encourages to read the Agreement carefully. It sets out both the commitments of the signatories and the demands addressed to the authorities.
- Oral health must be the priority of the dental care system, not an unnecessary wheel. There must not be a belief at the highest levels of government that patients will treat themselves anyway in private practices and build up their knowledge on google. Patients, but also doctors of many specialities, need evidence-based knowledge. We also need support in building the belief that medicine and dentistry are inseparable, adds Prof Dominiak.
W Agreement These included calls for: to regularly undertake educational and promotional activities in the field of oral health, in consultation with professionals and patients, to create a system of patient education, especially for those struggling with chronic diseases or who are in so-called risk groups, and to make time available in the public media for educational projects/campaigns to raise public awareness of oral health.
- The agreement can be signed by anyone, regardless of their affiliation with a patient organisation. The Institute is happy to support this project. Indeed, until now, we have never focused attention on oral health problems. Certainly, few patients are aware that oral diseases can contribute to the onset or development of general diseases, hinder specialist treatment or cause discomfort in their private and professional lives. The debate with the leaders of patient organisations - hard to believe - was proof of this. It is time to change this, says Igor Grzesiak of the Institute for Patient Rights and Health Education.