World Oral Health Day: ‘Oral diseases are preventable, as long as you take care’

There is just one dentist for every 16,500 people in Pakistan.

KARACHI:

Even if oral cancer is the second biggest cancer in Pakistan, about 90 per cent of oral diseases are preventable, said the speakers at the inauguration ceremony of World Oral Health Day at Fatima Jinnah Dental College (FJDC) on Thursday.

“A smile is happiness that you will find right under your nose, so, it all depends upon you how you maintain it,” said Hashim Hasan, the pioneer of medical journalism and dental news. He said that most diseases start from mouth, including diabetes. Hasan requested teachers to control and impose a ban on the sale of chhalia and ghutka that on school premises.

“Only 20 per cent of the population has access to treatment of oral health, while people living in remote areas are not lucky enough as the people of big cities,” said Dr Saqib Rashid, president of Pakistan Dental Association, who is also head of operative dentistry department of FJDC.

Dr Rashid said Pakistani dentists would continue to spread awareness of oral health, adding that it is important to educate people regarding oral health issues.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s MNA Dr Arif Alvi was the chief guest of the event and said that since most of oral diseases are preventable, an individual has to play his or her due role for oral care. “We can save billions of rupees if we get rid of oral diseases,” he suggested.

Dr Alvi suggested that information related to oral diseases should be included in school textbooks.  He briefly explained the importance of cleanliness of teeth in Islam.

Students of different schools attended the event where dentists urged them to take care of their teeth.

Dr Maria Khadija of the FJDC said that a person who has a problem in his mouth should immediately consult a dentist. “If you delay, a minor issue will be complicated,” she added.

Talking about celebrating a healthy smile, Dr Khadija said that people have to take care of their mouth just as they take care of other parts of the body. “Smiling is a valuable asset both in social and professional life, so be confident of your smile but for that you need healthy teeth,” she added.

‘Women need dental treatment in different stages’

Ziauddin College of Dentistry, in collaboration with Pakistan Dental Community (PDC), commemorated the World Oral Health Day themed as Celebrating Healthy Smile on Thursday at its campus.

Dr Saifullah Khan, senior registrar of oral medicine at Ziauddin University, talked about oral heath in different stages of a woman’s life, covering different aspects of oral health issues in women. He said women make half of the world’s population and experience dental problems due to a lack of education. Women need dental treatment on attaining puberty, upon use of oral contraceptives, during pregnancy and on attaining menopause, he added. Dr Saif said women are more prone to oral diseases due to different hormonal changes, they need professional dental care to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Faizan said, “Inculcating hygiene consciousness among the general public about oral health is a challenge in itself because of a lack of basic education”. Despite the fact that Pakistan has one of the highest rates of oral cancer, he said that there are about 11,000 registered dentists in Pakistan, which means that for 16,500 people there is just one dentist.

Dr Ambrina Qureshi said the day March 20 is designated for oral health awareness because a healthy child is supposed to have a set of 20 milk teeth while an adult should have a set of 32 teeth.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 21^st, 2014.