MANILA, Philippines - Teeth and gum problems may not be a priority for many Filipinos, but the Department of Health (DOH) said these could lead to health and social complications if proper care is not taken.
DOH Undersecretary and regional director for the National Capital Region (NCR) Ted Herbosa said oral health could affect a person’s well being.
“It’s wrong to set aside oral health because it is very important. Like in nutrition, you cannot eat properly if your teeth are decaying. And children who have decaying teeth are usually absent from school because of toothache,†he said.
Herbosa added that having no teeth or decaying teeth could also affect a person’s chance for employment.
According to Rochelle Pambid of the DOH-NCR Oral Health Unit, dental cavities could also lead to heart ailments.
“If you have decaying tooth, it could affect the heart because the bacteria could travel to the heart. Oral health is not just aesthetic, it involves our entire well being,†she said.
To scale up awareness about oral health, the DOH is giving the “Best Orally Fit Child†(OFC) awards to local government units (LGUs) with the highest percentage of preschool children without dental caries and have an effective oral health awareness program.
For this year, the winners are the cities of Muntinlupa and Marikina.
The candidates of the 17 LGUs in Metro Manila were evaluated by DOH under two categories, namely the “virgin case†or category 1, which means that a child must have clean and healthy teeth and gums during the examination.
Category 2 or the “rehabilitated case†means the child previously had dental caries.
Dental caries are tooth decay and cavity. Periodontal, on the other hand, are gum diseases.
Based on the 2011 National Monitoring and Evaluation Dental Survey, 87.4 percent of Filipinos suffer from dental caries while 48.3 percent have periodontal disease.
The DOH initiated the OFC program to promote proper oral health hygiene among day care students below six years old.
Pambid said they are coordinating with LGUs to raise awareness about oral health in the community.
The agency is also undertaking the “dental sealant†campaign wherein newly erupted teeth of those in public pre-schools are being sealed to prevent cavities.
Pambid urged Filipinos to give importance to oral health by seeing a dentist at least once every six months.
“Many of us would rather have our nails done than see a dentist. We hope that the people would give priority to oral health. We recommend that (dental) cleaning be done every six months,†she said.