663. Prevalence of oral diseases decreased significantly in children and young people

Data on the prevalence of oral diseases are included in the report presented by the Directorate-General for Health and Health of the Portuguese - Perspetiva 2015 (pdf). The results of the new studies on the prevalence of oral diseases among children and youngsters up to the age of 24 show a trend towards general improvement that covers all ages.
The severity of dental caries in the permanent dentition at 15 and 18 years has been declining consistently since the year 2000.

At 18 years of age, disease levels, measured through the CPO index - number of decayed and extracted teeth per patient, show a decrease from 4.7 to 2.5. The percentage of young people with at least one permanent dentition sealant increased from only 19.8% to 29.3%.
The number of 15 and 18 year olds with healthy gums practically doubled from 21.1% to 41.8%, confirming the importance that is increasingly given to oral hygiene, since 96% of 18-year-olds reported brushing their teeth every day.

As early as March, data on children aged six and 12 years showed a reduction in the prevalence of oral diseases. At age six, 79% of children claim to brush their teeth every day, at age 12 they are almost 90%.

According to Paulo Melo, the secretary general of the Dentistry Doctors (OMD), this improvement in the oral health of the younger Portuguese is due to three factors. Firstly, the existence of a public oral health program that includes the dental check and allows the youngest to be regularly followed by dentists. Secondly, because this program teaches to prevent oral diseases and introduces the habit of brushing teeth at least twice a day and also allows these young people to be treated when the disease is still in its infancy. This study then demonstrates the importance of the role of Portuguese dentists in the oral health of Portuguese young people, who are on the right track in the teaching of preventive care and in the treatment of cases of illness.

Faced with these good results, Paulo Melo believes that an extension of the National Program for the Promotion of Oral Health should be studied in order to cover more poor sections of the population. Dental consultations are practically non-existent in the National Health Service (SNS), and it is therefore imperative to create conditions for all Portuguese to have access to oral health care. Whether with the integration of dentists in public hospitals and health centers, or through conventions between the state and private clinics and clinics.

The data on the prevalence of oral diseases are part of the report presented by the Directorate-General for Health 'The Health of the Portuguese - Perspectiva 2015', which highlights the need for an integrated approach to the various medical specialties in the prevention and treatment of Diseases that most affect the Portuguese.
The DGS report concluded that poor nutrition is the factor that robs the Portuguese of more years of healthy life, and as the Secretary General of the OMD points out, is also the main risk factor for oral health as well as tobacco.

The dentist can play a decisive role since our mouths accurately reflect the foods we eat with serious dangers for diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, which especially condition oral health and are also conditioned by oral diseases.
There is here a work of general health promotion that oral health can and should play, making a very important contribution to prolong life, and especially the quality of life, of the Portuguese.

Ordem dos Médicos Dentistas