The purpose of this study was to investigate the promotion programs for dental health carried out by “joint public and private enterprises”in each prefecture in Japan.
We sent questionnaires to 47 prefectures. Its content consisted of items such as existence of organizations founded by the joint and private enterprises, the type of organization, the composition of the secretariat, the programs carried out, the budget, etc... We analyzed the data from 10 prefectures which responded. In terms of budget, the foundations in Nagano and Niigata Prefectures were the most advanced ones. In 1991, total expenses in Nagano and Niigata were ¥61, 660, 000 and ¥55, 770, 000, respectively. The sources of revenue and expenditure in each enterprise were different. In Niigata, both the revenue and the expenditure of the enterprise were relatively high, and in Nagano, the revenue from subcontracts and the personnel costs were relatively high. The fluoride usage was the main program in Niigata. Although we did not analyze the oral health situation in these prefectures, we considered that priority should be given to effective programs, such as the appropriate uses of fluoride, rather than only to dental examinations or information dissemination. The characteristic of public institutions is planning, while that of the private sector is flexibility in adjusting to different situations. The public institution and the private sector should cooperate more closely so that the activities of the joint public and private enterprises can be more effective.