Reach the unreached - A systematic review on mobile dental units

Abstract

Provision of health care facilities and the extent of their utilization is one of the indices of human development. The services for the masses need to be designed with the basic objective of alleviating and preventing the vast amounts of diseases of the mass. This could be achieved by mobile dental units. The present systemic review access the efficacy of mobile dental units for community settings. A review of literature was performed both electronically and manually using MeSH Terms- Mobile Dental Units/clinics. Eight articles, which fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria were selected for the review. Mobile dental units help in overcoming the accessibility, affordability and sustainability barrier. They are able to reach more people than fixed-site clinics. Even in Government sector, mobile dental vans can help reach the underserved at an affordable cost.The present systematic review revealed that mobile dental units prove to be an effective adjunct to the oral health service providers like dental colleges and private practitioners.