UNAIR NEWS – FDI World Dental Federation has established “Say Ahh: Act on Mouth Health ” as the theme of 2019 World Oral Health Day which falls on Wednesday, March 20, 2019. The theme was chosen as an appeal to the community to always maintain dental and oral health.
In a study conducted by Faculty of Dental Medicine (FKG) Universitas Airlangga, an interesting finding was found. Topics regarding dental and oral are rarely accessed through information search engines.
This fact is a challenge for activists of community dental health to innovate in improving public awareness on the importance of maintaining dental and oral health. It was revealed by Dr. Taufan Bramantoro, drg., M. Kes., Head of FKG UNAIR Community Dental Health Department.
“Dental caries and tartar are still the two main problems that often occur in the community,” explained Dr. Taufan.
Some people judge that dental and oral health is not crucial. In 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas), the proportion of dental and oral problems reached 57.6 percent. Meanwhile, the proportion of teeth brushing behavior is only 2.8 percent. On the other hand, there are many studies that explain the effects of oral and dental health on the health and quality of life of a person in general.
In fact, a data from America states that at least 53 million learning hours of elementary school children are lost due to dental and oral problems. Dental and oral health problems in children can also affect the pronunciation function and inhibit the entry of food so that it can affect the nutritional quality of a child.
“Several studies also related the influence of oral and dental problems with pregnant women. It can be a trigger for premature birth or preeclampsia,” he explained.
So, why dental and oral problems affect a person’s health? According to Dr. Taufan, in the mouth there are many bacteria. Meanwhile, the teeth themselves have a structure that is connected with other blood vessels in the body.
When there is damage, the area of the blood vessels will open and trigger an infection. If it is not treated, it can cause other diseases.
“The symptoms do not always hurt. But, when the teeth have started to perforate or the gums are reddish and bleeding, those are signs that inflammation has occurred. You shouldn’t wait it goes badly until you see a dentist, “he added.
Other problems related to dental and oral health are dental treatment that is not according to the procedure. Dr. Taufan gave an example, there were cases of improper installation of dentures by non-experts. Later, the patient experiences an infection and results in oral cancer. Things like that later became an important reason for campaigning on the importance of oral and dental health.
“So far, various policies have indeed been carried out both on a small and large scale. However, it is not maximal because it is still done partially. So that a more comprehensive effort is needed, both in terms of government policies, human resources and approaches to the community, “he concluded. (*)
Author: Nabila Amelia
Editor: Feri Fenoria Rifa’i
