Effect of the Army Oral Health Maintenance Program (AOHMP) on the Dental Health Status of Army Personnel. AOHMP Evaluation. Part II. Dental Health Record Review of Program Participation and Recurrent Care Needs

Abstract : The Army Oral Health Maintenance Program is a Department Of Army approved dental program which serves as the primary patient input device for the Army dental care system. This is one phase of an evaluation study to determine how effectively the program is working. It was designed to evaluate the patient participation beyond the mandatory examination phase of the program as well as to determine the care completion rate and recurrent care needs ratio by means of dental records audit. The findings indicate that approximately 50 percent of the sample received an annual examination as a direct result of the AOHMP. The need for dental care among the sample was over 90 percent with dental prophylaxis, scaling, and restorations being recorded as the most frequently delivered services. Although few eligibles participated in the AOHMP routinely on an annual basis, those participants who went beyond the examination phase and received some needed care completed their care sequences 60 percent of the time. Recurrent care needs for restorative dentistry involved 50 percent of the sample. It was recommended that the program be continued and that long term non-participants be identified and introduced into the program. (Author)