9 out of 10 Filipinos Plagued With Cavities
Lack of knowledge a primary cause
Lack of knowledge a primary cause
Filipinos, regardless of age or socio-economic
status, have all suffered from a cavity[1].
Figures released by the Department of Health revealed that nine out of ten
Filipinos suffer from cavities or tooth decay.[2]
Your child could be one of them.
Tooth decay or cavities is the top chronic
health concern for children all over the world[3],
which, when left untreated, can compromise a child’s eating and sleeping habits,
as well as affect their self-confidence. A child suffering from severe cavities
may experience difficulty in concentrating on school work, speaking, and even
sleeping. Gerlie, a mother of two, shares, “I wasn’t aware that my child was suffering
from cavities until one day he cried because of his very painful toothache. He
couldn’t move and wasn’t able to do much else until the pain went away. He didn’t even have the appetite to
eat or the energy to go to school.” These
result in increasingly escalating detrimental effects on health, school and
work performance, and even self-esteem[4].
Aside from compromising a child’s eating habits, severe decay in baby teeth can
have serious consequences for a child’s speech and jaw development.[5]
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A primary factor in the prevalence of cavities among Filipinos is a general lack of
knowledge on dental health. Since oral
health problems such as cavities are often overlooked, cavities are left
untreated until they become emergency medical situations. In addition, unlike
other more common health problems, the
definition, symptoms, causes, and effects of cavities are not as commonly
understood.
Cavities are commonly viewed by Filipinos as holes
in teeth caused by consuming too much sweets. However, according to Dr. Corazon S. Flores, President of the
Philippine Dental Association, “Visible holes on the surface of the teeth indicate
that the problem has progressed beyond
the tooth surface. In fact, dental caries or tooth decay begins with invisible acid
erosion of the tooth enamel, caused by accumulated food substances left on the
teeth. Left unchecked, the tooth area becomes increasingly damaged, progressing
from the surface, all the way into the root.”
Cavities have become a fact of life among Filipinos
when it really should not be as it is
easily preventable, especially with the number of oral care products that are
readily available. DepEd has continuously put their efforts to raise awareness on
proper oral care in public school children by including it in the curriculum.
This way, at an early age they are already made aware of how to easy it is to
take care of their teeth.
It is also important to note that proper oral
health care starts at home, continues Dr. Flores, “Being proactive at home is the
first step. Filipinos can prevent this by brushing and flossing at least twice
a day and regularly visiting the dentist at least twice a year. Parents need to
set a good example by instilling good oral care habits in their family,
especially their children, so that cavities can finally become a thing of the
past.”
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