Dental Care Must Get Better in Fiji
A leading dental expert has said that dental care must improve in Fiji.
Dr Joan Lal, chief dental officer at the Colonial War Memorial Hospital, said that standards of oral health were very poor and improvements in dental care must be made. Dr Lal stated that around 88 percent of children starting school this year had signs of oral health problems, including dental decay.
Dr Lal attributed the high rates of decay to poor oral hygiene and a poor diet. She also felt that parents needed to become more involve, supervising their children when brushing their teeth and reducing the amount of sugary foods and drinks.
Dr Lal called for better dental care while speaking at the launch of the national oral health survey. The last survey, which was carried out in 2004, highlighted decay and gum disease as the major oral health problems in Fiji. According to the 2004 survey, 85.2 percent of six year olds had untreated decay and almost 50 percent of children had four or more decayed milk teeth.
Dr Lal said the new survey is part of the Ministry of Health’s efforts to improve dental care and subsequently reduce rates of decay and gum disease. She said that it was important to target parents and encourage them to get their children involved in oral hygiene from an early age, as children who are used to brushing their teeth twice a day are more likely to have strong healthy teeth.
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