Poor oral health standards in developing countries
There is a long list of maladies which are common to both the nations of India and Pakistan, deficient oral health being one of them. The ordinary dental health can be attributed to lack of basic dental hygiene knowledge, lack of comprehension of dental diseases and disregardful attitude of the people.
Though, both the countries are developing countriesand have been for a long time in a bright period for medical science. There have voluminous discoveries, inventions and advances in the medical field over the past century, each of which has had a vital impact in the health industry. Keeping this in mind, it is appalling to say the least to view the oral health of the countries in such ordinary condition.
Let’s put this in to viewpoint numerically. The “Consumer Usage and Attitudes Survey” conducted by IMRB revealed some shocking facts.
-Around 50% Indian people do not use toothbrush and toothpaste as their technique of cleaning teeth.
-Two thirds of the people surveyed have never been to a dentist.
-56% of the surveyed people envisioned no harm to never replace a toothbrush.
The situation is no better in Pakistan.
A survey was conducted to spot the range of oral disease in Pakistan. The survey identified that tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. The bulk of the adults show signs of gum disease.
With such bad-looking statistics, one might wonder the reason for this state of dental health. This can be attributed to the following:
A considerable number of people don’t realize the salience of dental hygiene. They also do not bear basic knowledge of how to brush correctly, the salience of flossing and regular appointments to the dentist. Unscientific theories such as tooth decay being caused by worms, or extraction of teeth leads to poor sight are rampant.
A very unreflective attitude is like an epidemic in both the countries. People do not see the dentist until they have pain or discomfort. This removes the chance for the dentist to control the dental problem in its initial stages and almost always leads to tooth extraction. There are a distinct group of people who believe painkillers are the way to go. They take self prescribed analgesics when in pain.
The solution
The best solution is to concentrate on this problem at the grass root level. Incorporating fundamental dental education in the curriculum of school children ensures that the future citizens of our country grow up to be individuals who can act responsibly for their dental health.
The Government should conduct and promote oral health education programs and free oral screening camps which can improve the knowledge base of the general public and also identify dental conditions in them so that they can take appropriate measures. These steps will take a long time to bear results.
In conclusion, I would like to say that it’s high time we start implementing measures to conserve the smiles of our people. Keep in mind, “A healthy smile is a happy smile.”
The above fragment has been penned by a dentist who blogs on Edentalhealth.The latest articles on the blog are pertaining to BDS admission karnataka
and MBBS admission 2011
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