Department of Health (DOH) – MIMAROPA (Oriental/Occidental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) recently launched its oral health campaign targeting pre-school children of indigenous families starting with the Mangyan residents of Villa Pag-Asa in Bansud, Oriental Mindoro.
“This is one of our government’s promise to bring health services to far-off rural communities who have the least opportunity to take advantage of our government’s health products, services and facilities,” Regional Director Eduardo C. Janairo stated.
“We will not be deterred by the common excuses of poor health-seeking behavior, absence of adequate road infrastructure or lack of transportation facilities in these areas. We will bring whatever health services they need and will regularly do so with the support of our local health workers,” he emphasized.
The campaign is focused on the importance of early education on proper oral health routine. The whole day activity includes teaching parents on proper brushing technique, when to clean teeth and how to take care of it.
There were 70 families provided with dental check-up and 30 were given tooth extraction to remove decaying teeth. Local dental health teams from the province performed the operation with the aid of the DOH dental health bus.
Janairo explained that is very important to ensure the practice of proper oral hygiene routine early in life to ensure the development of strong and healthy teeth. “By training them at young age, we can emphasize the importance of oral health care so that they can pass this on to their families because the foundation for a healthy permanent teeth forms during the first 2 years of a child.”
“I urge parents to instill to their children the importance of oral hygiene. Supervise them during the brushing of their teeth while encouraging them to regularly brush after every meal,” Dr. Janairo stressed.
The oral health status of Filipino children is still a major concern as shown by the 2006 National Oral Health Survey which revealed that 97.1% of public elementary school students or 6-year old children suffer from tooth decay. In addition, 78.4% of twelve-year-old children suffer from dental caries and 49.7% of the same age group manifested symptoms of dentinogenic infections. (Glen Ramos/PR/DOH)
