Jong’s Community Dental Health, 5th ed.

 A plan is a decision about a course of action.

 It is a systematic approach to defining the
problem, setting priorities, developing
specific goals and objectives, and
determining alternative strategies and a
method of implementation.
 First step
 Primary purpose is to define the problem and
to identify its extent and severity
 Second, it is used to obtain a profile of the
community to ascertain the causes of the
problem that will help in developing
appropriate goals and objectives
 Should also identify potential health problems
and health promotion needs
 Serves as baseline data to evaluate the
effectiveness of the program
 It is important to consider what type of
information is needed and how it should be
obtained
 General info, health problems & beliefs,
epidemiologic data, status of existing
programs, resources available, etc.
 Data can be obtained by various techniques
such as survey questionnaires, clinical exams,
or through personal communications, past
surveys and research, existing records
1. Number of individuals
2. Geographic distribution
3. Rate of growth
4. Population density and degree of
urbanization
5. Ethnic background
6. Diet and nutritional levels
7. Standard of living, including types of
housing
8. Amount and type of public services and
utilities
9. Public and private school system
10. General health profile
11. Patterns and distribution of dental disease
 Ranking the problems or solutions to a
problem based on the data collected
 Community should be involved
 Determine the most efficient allocation of
resources
 Consider extent and severity of the problem
1. Pre-school and school-age children
2. Mentally or physically disabled persons
3. Chronically or medically compromised
persons
4. Elderly persons
5. Expectant mothers
6. Low-income minority groups
 Broad statements on the overall purpose of a
program to meet a defined problem

Example:
“To improve the oral health of the school-
aged children in Santo Domingo Elementary
School by March 2018.”
 Specific avenues by which goals are met
 Describe in a measurable way the desired end
result of program activities
Should specify the ff.
1. What: the nature of the situation or
condition to be obtained
2. Extent: the scope and magnitude of the
situation or condition to be attained
3. Who: the particular group in which
attainment is desired
4. Where: the geographic areas of the
program
5. When: the date by which the desired
situation or condition is intended to exist
Example:
“By 2018, at least 40% of the population ages
6 to 12 years old in Santo Domingo Elem.
School will be caries free.”
 Personnel, equipment and supplies, facilities,
financial resources, etc
Some criteria used:
1. Appropriateness: the most suitable
resources to get the job done
2. Adequacy: the extent or degree to which
the resources would complete the job
3. Effectiveness: how capable the resources
are at completing the job
4. Efficiency: the monetary cost and amount
of time expended to complete the job
 Roadblocks or obstacles may result from
organizational policies, resource limitations,
or characteristics of the community
 If these are identified early, one can modify
the program and create a more practical and
realistic plan.
 One of the best ways is to bring together a
groups of concerned citizens who might be
involved or affected by the project. They can
also offer alternative solutions.
Questions to be answered
1. Why: the effect of the objective to be
achieved
2. What: the activities required to achieve the
objective
3. Who: individuals responsible for each
activity
4. When: chronologic sequence of activities
Questions to be answered
5. How: materials, media, methods, and
techniques to be used
6. How much: a cost estimate of materials and
time
 Planners must know what specific activity
they want to do
 The most effective method is to work
backward to identify the events that must
occur before initiating the activity
1. Specify clearly the activity (who does what
for whom)
2. Be sure someone is responsible for the
whole activity and coordinates individuals
who may carry out the different tasks
3. Identify all the preparatory steps before
doing that activity
4. List steps in the order in which they must
occur
5. Check for missing steps that just be added
6. Determine when (date) each step should
begin and end
7. Check the dates to make sure the correct
amount of time has been allowed
8. Consult with organizations affected by the
activity; identify potential problems,
opportunities, and so on
9. Specify what resources will be needed and
their source
10. Specify what constraints must be addressed
11. Make sure all people involved know what is
expected of them and by when
 The program’s success is determined by
monitoring how well the program is meeting
its stated objectives, how well individuals are
doing their jobs, how well equipment
functions, and how appropriate and adequate
facilities are.
 Before problems arise in any of these areas,
adjustments must be made to fine-tune the
program.