Lesson 25

Heath: Medical and Dental

Public Health

• Science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and

promoting health through the organized efforts ad
informed choices of society, organizations, public and
private, communities and individuals.

There are two distinct characteristics of public health:

1. It deals with preventive rather than curative aspects of

health.
2. It deals with population-level, rather than individual-
level health issues
Environmental Health
• branch of public health that is concerned with all aspects of the natural
and built environment that may affect human health.

• Those aspects of the human body human health and disease that are
determined by factors in the environment.

• It also refers to the theory and practice of assessing and controlling

factors in the environment that can potentially affect health.

Behavioral Health
• refers to the reciprocal relationship between human behavior,
individually or socially, and the well-being of the body, mind, and
spirit, whether the latter are considered individually or as an integrated
whole
Occupational health and safety
• cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and
welfare of people engaged in work or employment.

Dental Public Health

• a non-clinical specialty of dentistry
• involved in the assessment of dental health needs and improving the dental
health of populations rather than individuals.

Dentistry
• branch of medicine that is involved in the evaluation, diagnosis,
prevention, and surgical or non-surgical treatment of diseases, disorders
and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and
associated structures and their impact on the human body.
Water Fluoridation

• controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to

reduce tooth decay

Water Defluoridation

• needed when the naturally occurring fluoride level exceeds

recommended limits.
Health Care at Home and in Community

1. Immunize
2. Keep moving
3. Eat right
4. Control Stress
5. Be smoke-free
6. Avoid drugs and excess alcohol
7. Put safety first
8. Pursue healthy pleasures
9. Think well yourself
10. Promote peace
Vital Signs
• measurements of the body's most basic functions
• useful in detecting or monitoring medical problems

The four main vital signs routinely monitored by medical

professionals and health care providers include the following:

• Body temperature
• Pulse rate
• Respiration rate (rate of breathing)
• Blood pressure (Blood pressure is not considered a vital sign,
but is often measured along with the vital signs.)
Normal Body Temperature
• from 97.8 degrees F (or Fahrenheit, equivalent to 36.5
degrees C, or Celsius) to 99 degrees F (37.2 degrees C) for a
healthy adult.

High Body Temperature (Fever)

• rises about one degree or more over the normal temperature of
98.6 degrees Fahrenheit

Low Body Temperature (Hypothermia)

• a drop in body temperature below 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
There are four (4) ways to take body temperature:

1. Orally (in the mouth)

2. Rectally (in the anus)
3. Axillary (under the armpit)
4. By ear (Using an electronic oral or ear thermometer
or temperature strip)
5. By skin
Pulse Rate
• measurement of the heart rate, or the number of
times the heart beats per minute.

Normal Heart/Pulse Rates

• Adults 60 to 100 beats/minutes
• Children 70 to 150 beats/minutes
• Infants 100 to 160 beats/minutes

Normal Breathing Rates

• Adults 12 to 20 breathes/minutes
• Children 15 t0 30 breathes/minutes
• Infants 25 to 50 breathes/minutes
How to check your pulse:
• Using the first and second fingertips, press
firmly but gently on the arteries until you feel
a pulse.
• Begin counting the pulse when the clock's
second hand is on the 12.
• Count your pulse for 60 seconds (or for 15
seconds and then multiply by four to
calculate beats per minute).
• When counting, do not watch the clock
continuously, but concentrate on the beats of
the pulse.
• If unsure about your results, ask another
person to count for you.
Respiration Rate
• number of breaths a person takes per minute

Normal respiration rates for an adult person at rest range from

12 to 16 breaths per minute.
Blood Pressure
• the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls during
contraction and relaxation of the heart

Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure:

• Systolic pressure (higher number) – refers to the pressure

inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood
through the body

• Diastolic pressure (lower number) – refers to the pressure

inside the artery when the heart is at rest and filling with blood

Stethoscope and sphygmomanometer (blood pressure cuff)

• Measure the blood pressure
High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
• the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of
blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood

Blood pressure is categorized as:

• Normal blood pressure is systolic of less than 120 and diastolic

of less than 80 (120/80)
• Elevated blood pressure is systolic of 120 to 129 and diastolic
less than 80
• Stage 1 high blood pressure is systolic is 130 to 139 or diastolic
between 80 to 89
• Stage 2 high blood pressure is when systolic is 140 or
higher or the diastolic is 90 or higher
Family Planning
• having the desired number of children and when you want to
have them by using safe and effective modern methods

Birth Control
• several methods to prevent women from becoming pregnant for
as long as they wish
Birth Control Methods

1. Pill method – one of the most effective methods for avoiding

pregnancy
2. Condom – narrow rubber or latex bag that the man wears on his penis
while having sex
3. Diaphragm – shallow cup made of soft rubber that a woman wears in
her vagina while having sexual intercourse
4. Contraceptive foam – comes in a tube or can
5. Intrauterine device (IUD) – plastic or metal object that a specifically
trained worker or midwife places inside the womb
6. Rhythm method – not very sure to prevent pregnancy but it does not
cost anything
7. Mucus method – variation of the rhythm method that is espoused by
some religious groups
8. Withdrawal – pulling out in which the man pulls his penis out of the
woman before the sperms comes out.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
• virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making
a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases.

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

• the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s
immune system is badly damaged because of the virus

The specific behaviors that spread HIV include:

• Sharing injection needles and syringes with someone who is HIV-positive.

• Unprotected (without a condom) rectal entry intercourse (anal sex) with
someone who is HIV-positive.
• Unprotected vaginal or oral sexual activity with someone who is HIV-positive.
• Babies born to or breastfed by women who are HIV-positive are also high risk of
contracting the virus.
Symptoms of HIV Infection and AIDS:
• rapid unexplained weight loss
• persistent unexplained fever and night sweats
• persistent diarrhea
• persistent severe fatigue
• swelling of glands in neck, armpits, or groin
• unusual sores on the skin, in the mouth; white patches in the
mouth increase outbreaks of cold sores
• unexplained shortness of breath and dry cough
• severe numbness or pain in the hands and feet
• personality change or mental deterioration
• unusual cancers and infections
Prevention
1. If you are beginning a sexual relationship, take time before
having sex talk about HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases (STDs). Find out if your partner has been exposed to or
infected by STDs, or if your partner’s behavior puts him or her
at risk for HIV infection. Remember that is it possible to be
infected without knowing it.

2. Use condoms with any new partner until you are certain that the
person does not have any sexually transmitted disease and you
are certain that neither of you will have unprotected sexual
contact with anyone else while your relationship lasts.