Dental Care in far away places!

After spending 5 weeks in beautiful Thailand, I came home wondering how aware Thai people are of oral health. Thailand presented me with lots of fresh, healthy food & a healthy lifestyle, man-made sugary snacks such as sweets & biscuits didn’t seem as easily accessible to children as they appear to be in our country. There was plenty of wholesome fresh foods to snack on instead. However when I investigated, I was very surprised by what I discovered.

A study showed that 70% of children 12 years of age had caries in permanent teeth, with 53% of these suffering with pain or discomfort. 88% of them claimed to be tooth brushing at least once a day.

In adults, aged 35-44 years of age, 74% of a persons daily performance was affected by poor oral health, making chewing food very difficult which had added effect on their health. 46% also showed signs it was effecting their emotional stability.

The studies concluded that systematic health education may further improve the oral health of Thai children and the primary school provide a unique setting for such programmes. I really hope this makes progress & people are educated more about how to prevent poor oral health and the problems this can cause.

I spotted a few dental practices whilst I was there & they looked lovely, I just hope the importance of good oral health can be promoted in more rural cultures and so help & prevent unnecessary suffering.

Amber