Canary Health Service Launches Primary and Hospital Dental Unit in Fuerteventura

The Health Area of Fuerteventura, part of the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS), has launched a new Dentistry Unit for Primary and Hospital Care aimed at improving oral health services for people with functional diversity on the island.

The service was presented on Friday, 12 December, at the General Hospital of Fuerteventura. The event was attended by the Health Area director Tomás Pérez, the island’s Health Services manager María Luisa Naranjo, and the professional team that will staff the unit: a dentist and a dental hygienist.

Rotating Service to Bring Dentistry Closer to the Population

The new resource begins its activity with a rotating schedule that alternates between the General Hospital of Fuerteventura—where it operates under the umbrella of General Surgery—and three health centers. This arrangement will make dental care more accessible to residents across different points of the island.

Specialized Care for Patients with Functional Diversity

Treating individuals with intellectual disability or severe behavioral disorders requires specific competencies and adapted approaches. With the new unit, these patients can receive care under sedation or general anesthesia when treatment cannot be performed in the Primary Care Oral Health Units (USO).

The main beneficiaries will be:

• People with an intellectual disability of 33 % or higher, whose level of dependence hampers the self‑care needed for proper oral health.
• Patients with serious behavioral disturbances, confirmed by medical diagnosis, that prevent the self‑control required for safe dental treatment.

In both cases, interventions will follow protocols jointly agreed upon by Primary Care and Hospital teams.

Services Included in the New Unit

The Dentistry Unit will provide conservative and preventive procedures listed in the SCS service portfolio, including:

• Periodic oral health examinations.
• Radiographic examinations when indicated.
• Application of remineralizing, antiseptic, or desensitizing agents for both primary and permanent dentition.

Additional procedures will comprise:

• Sealants for pits and fissures.
• Tartrectomies.
• Fillings of carious lesions in permanent teeth that do not involve irreversible pulp damage.
• Management of trauma to permanent incisors or canines, including repositioning, stabilization, splinting, soft‑tissue suturing, and necessary pulp treatments such as endodontics.