Abstract
The objective of this research project is to experiment with a public-private partnership model for dental services. Local government organizations coordinate with the area-level health promotion fund to purchase preventive dental care services from private dental clinics to increase access to dental services for children aged 3-6 years in the education area. This is to expand the coverage of dental services provided by the Ministry of Public Health agencies. Prior to the research project, according to the education area data, primary care units in the area were able to provide dental services such as dental check-ups and fluoride varnish to approximately 50% of the population of children aged 0-5 years. This indicates the limitations of the capacity of state agencies in areas with limited resources and the need to care for all age groups, in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic situation in 2021 which halted the provision of dental services from primary care dental units in the area and resulted in a significant decrease in access to dental services for children before school age. Data from a survey showed that during the COVID-19 pandemic, there were children before school age who needed oral health care but did not receive it. The results of the project show opportunities to use dental health resources in the area more efficiently to better care for the dental health of the population. The public-private partnership model can be a way to increase access to dental services for children. The cooperation of various organizations, including local government organizations and private dental clinics, is an important factor in the success of the project. The results of this study have interesting and beneficial issues for the development of policies to improve access to dental services for children in urban areas. There are four main issues: (1) The involvement of local government organizations in providing dental services using budget from the local health promotion fund. (2) Increasing the dental care access for children in urban area via PPP model (3) Using digital information systems for managing oral health services (4) Management of oral health systems at the regional level. Policy notes: To increase access to dental services for the public, especially children in urban areas, developing new service models by coordinating cooperation from local government organizations and utilizing budgets from new sources is an opportunity and challenge for Thailand, particularly in the context of decentralization and the increasing number of private dentists in a situation where the Ministry of Public Health limits funding for dental services. Coordination of dental services by the public health sector, local government organizations, and private dental service providers is a potential model for developing the dental service system in areas that should be supported. This support should involve various relevant sectors as follows: Ministry of Interior/ Ministry of Finance, supporting local government organizations to expand their role in healthcare in the area, amending regulations to facilitate health-related projects. National Health Security Office, providing consultation on the process of using the health fund and supporting the connection of health data. Provincial Health Office, developing the role in policy direction, service performance indicators, coordination, and system management, and supporting academic activities. Dental Council, supporting academic activities, setting standards for preventive dentistry, supporting policy promotion and implementation. The Department of Dental Public Health/General Dentists, supporting raise awareness and knowledge among the public about oral health to develop the behavior of taking care of their oral health.
