"Three in five Portuguese with pain of teeth do not go to the dentist and more than half of children between eight and 16 years already have the caries in permanent teeth, shows a study presented yesterday.
This study of the Portuguese Society of Dental Medicine and Dentistry (SPEMD) was released today in conjunction with the presentation of the 7th Month of Oral Health, an initiative that develops SPEMD in October, promoting s free dental screening throughout the country.
According to SPEMD, based on the screening of 11 thousand people during the initiative Oral Health Month 2005, 36 per cent of Portuguese adults have symptoms of pain or abscess, but only 40 percent of them sought treatment for dental problems. The SPEMD also shows that only 46 percent of participants had no problems in adult gums.
The study further points out that 42 percent of children up to seven years had caries in 55 percent of children between eight and 16 years had the dental caries in permanent teeth. "It's a very high number and shows that the pattern continues and it is worth concern ourselves with the teeth of milk," noted José Pedro Figueiredo, president of SPEMD, recalling that the idea ingrained that have no concern with the teeth of milk "is wrong."
The screening of SPEMD further points out that only 37 percent of children up to seven years has a teeth healthy. "That is, only one in three children in this age group has a reasonable oral health," stressed the chairman of the SPEMD. During the screening, 15 percent of the children indicated that in the previous three months had symptoms of infection, pain or sensitivity, and only 40 percent of children with pain or dental infections sought professional help.
"This means that 60 percent of these children in distress not sought treatment," concluded José Pedro Figueiredo, stressing that "the suffering with oral health is implicitly accepted by society, although the overwhelming majority of the diseases of the oral cavity are prevention easy. " "I think the idea was to use partnerships with private entities to provide dental treatments," defended the president of SPEMD, admitting that "the reality is that most of the Portuguese population has no economic capacity to bring to the dentist."
In 2005 dentists were observed by volunteers during the month of Oral Health, an initiative that promotes SPEMD together with Colgate, about 11,000 people from throughout the country, almost 50 percent of them aged between eight and 30 years old . In parallel, the Colgate held in May this year a study on the oral health of children Portuguese, concluding that one in four children go to the dentist for the first time for six years and only 19 percent of schools promote activities of oral hygiene among students . The study covered 5,500 children from five to 12 years about one hundred gardens-of-childhood and primary schools throughout the country.
According to the study, 24 percent of children never visited a dentist in the 81 percent because it did not consider that there was no need. Forty-five percent of the children only makes the first visit to a professional dental between five and six years, when it is already with the teeth of transition, and 36 percent of children sought a professional dental caries by problems, and pain or abscess. Thirty-nine percent of children go to the dentist less than once a year, 56 percent do not because it is not considered necessary and 28 percent because it is expensive.
The study concluded that 27 per cent of children begin to brush your teeth for two years, 47 percent of both the three and 13 percent after only three, when the recommended age is at around six months, when it starts to appear the teeth of milk. Nearly half of children (48 percent) use a brush longer than the three months recommended, 79 percent do not use or elixir or dental wire, and 57 percent brush your teeth twice a day, but one in three clean the teeth without the supervision of an adult.
The Oral Health Month, which the SPEMD held since seven years ago in October of this year with the participation of around two thousand dental find the whole country, which will make a voluntary basis dental screening free to the population, not including treatments or radiographs. According to the organizers, in addition to making dental screening accessible to people of more limited economic resources, the initiative aims to "sensitize people to the correct habits of Oral Hygiene and draw a general picture of the Oral Health in Portugal, from the results of the surveys made. "
For registration and information on the check-up free, is working the 'blue line' 808205206, between 09:00 and 23:00.
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I hope this article is read by those responsible for school health of the country or, in latter case, by the very Minister of Education. With so many reforms in education, there is no way to get out, once and for all, a measure of time to finish with the problem of access for all children and young people to treatments of oral health. WANTED WILL BE MORE STUDIES TO MAKE UP THE lift THIS SITUATION?
Gerofil
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