Philippine Dental Association (PDA) on Wednesday said that seven out of 10 Filipinos have dental caries or tooth decay.
This number makes up 72 percent of the population, with many of these statistics being five to 12 years old.
PDA executive secretary Sheryl Lantican said in a media Kapihan forum: “It [tooth decay] has become the leading reason why children are absent from school.”
“Based on my professional experience, madaming workers, employees also na di makakapasok sa trabaho (many workers, employees also who cannot go to work), only because they are experiencing toothache,” she added.
Tooth decay begins when bacteria in the mouth make acid that attacks the tooth’s surface, resulting in the teeth’s deterioration. Lantican said that the main cause of tooth decay is sugar and neglect of dental hygiene.
Moreover, five out of 10 or 50 percent of Filipinos suffer from various gum or periodontal diseases.
Department of Health (DOH) Maternal Child and Adolescent Health Division chief Manuel Vallesteros said that such dental problems can be prevented.
“We always think that dentistry is expensive, but it is dental neglect that is expensive. That’s why we need to strengthen dental home or oral health primary care,” Vallesteros said.
He gave some best practices to prevent tooth decay, such as observing proper toothbrushing, avoiding sugar, having regular dental checkups, and staying hydrated.
