Prevalence data are the third National Study of Oral Diseases 6, 12 and 18 years of age that the PUBLIC had access and that this Friday will be announced at a ceremony to mark the World Day of Oral Health. Prepared by Health General Directorate in partnership with the Dental Association (OMD), the study allows to realize that, besides being to reduce the number of children and young people with caries, the basic oral hygiene habits in children and young people are improvement: while the six years 79% of children said brushing your teeth every day, to 12 are almost 90% the guarantee that do it and, at 18, the percentage rises to 96%.
All indicators improved. We move to a situation where the level of dental caries is already very reasonable compared to the European average, says Paulo Melo, one of the authors of the study and general secretary of the OMD. Evolution was indeed significant, to believe the data from this study: in children six years between 2000 and 2013 the number of dental cavities decreased by 21%. But the reduction of tooth decay is not the only good news that emerges from this work. It is also favorable developments of the treated teeth and the number of missing teeth and this improvement cuts across all regions of the country.
Over that period, to 12 years average of decayed teeth per person fell 50%, while the average number of teeth treated increased by 15%, which means that two out of three decayed teeth are treated, further underlines the OMD. Disease levels are measured using an average rate per person which counts the number of decayed, filled and extracted (lost), the indicator that is used by the World Health Organization (WHO). Featured deserves the fact that the results of this index to 12 years have already exceeded the targets recommended by the WHO in 2020. In addition there are fewer people with caries, there are fewer individuals with severe carious lesions, synthesizes Paulo Melo.
The improvement observed in the permanent dentition in children and young people under the age of 18 is justified largely due to the National Program of Oral Health Promotion (checks-dentist called) that was launched in 2009 for these age groups. This program allows children, even the poorest, to access dental consultations which, in addition to treating any injuries, put fissure sealants on the teeth to prevent the onset of disease and also learn oral hygiene (brushing teeth at least twice a day) and healthy eating.
Paulo Melo is optimistic, because it believes that the focus on prevention and early treatment if it will translate into huge gains in the future. Surely we will not have, in 30 or 40 years, a number of edentulous elderly as high as we now anticipate. According to the results presented barometer in 2014, about 7% of the Portuguese have a single tooth.
The general secretary of the OMD also recalls that there is still a way to go to achieve the goals set by the WHO for 2020, especially in early childhood, the temporary teeth (called milk teeth). It is necessary to reduce the percentage of children who reach the age of six without cavities. Here, there is still some work to do, but it has to be done by parents and families, accentuates.
Children and young people are the main users of the dentist-check program, which also covers the elderly with the solidarity supplement, pregnant women and people with HIV. Last year, the rate of use of dental checks rose to 74%, having been used in total 406,689. Sixty percent were used in preventive procedures, the application of fissure sealants. In total, 4,334,877 caries were treated for only 207,239 tooth extractions, refers to OMD. Since the beginning of this program have been used 2,378,363 checks.
Alexandra Campos
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