Towards a preventive oral health policy: the risk-based dental care control program (CERO)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56116/cms.v66.n3.2026.2543Keywords:
Oral health, Prevention, Dental caries, Primary health care, Social determinants of healthAbstract
This article examines the transition of oral health policies in Chile from a curative to a preventive approach, focusing on the Risk-Based Dental Care Control Program (CERO). Based on a review of policy documents and recent evidence, it identifies progress in reducing childhood caries and socioeconomic inequalities, associated with the implementation of risk-based and life-course strategies. However, it argues that the main challenge lies in consolidating this paradigm shift by moving from epidemiological diagnosis to effective interventions addressing social determinants and by integrating this model into the broader health system.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yazmín Yoma Reyes, Gísela Jara Bahamondes, Andrea Moller Roth, Pía Fernández-Dávila, Carolina Del Valle Aranda, Soledad Carrasco Valenzuela, Rodrigo Cabello Ibacache, Norman Romo Grogg, Gonzalo Rodríguez Martínez
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