Prevention is better than cure
In the early 1970s, the Ministry of Health launched its School Dental Service (SDS) to ensure optimal oral health among students.
This service is provided in school dental clinics and dental clinics, and complemented by mobile dental clinics.
The programme has managed to reach almost 98.2% of primary and 84.0% of secondary schoolchildren in 2009, according to the ministry’s Oral Health Program’s official portal.
While oral health awareness among school children has improved, the National Oral Health Survey of Adults showed that oral health of preschool children is of concern with an increase of caries (tooth decay).
The report states children who have caries in their milk teeth were found to be three times more likely to develop caries in their permanent teeth.
To address this problem, Malaysian Dental Association president Dr Ng Woan Tyng advises parents and children to place more emphasis on the need for routine dental check-ups and preventive care.
“Regular dental check-ups can help lessen the need for invasive procedures like injections and extractions. Routine visits are a method to acclimatise children to the dental environment and to instil a positive mindset on seeing a dentist.”
Dr Ng says dentists practise many behaviour management methods to overcome an anxious child.
Some patients are given audio visual eyeglasses during treatment. This helps keep patients still and distracted while dentists are performing their work.
“Behaviour management techniques can be broadly divided into two groups – pharmacological (using medicines for sedation or general anaesthesia) and non-pharmacological (such as ‘tellshow-do’, role modelling or positive reinforcement).
“Sometimes, when all methods fail, the last resort will be to subject the child to general anaesthesia for a comprehensive dental treatment.”
Ipoh-based Dr Ng encourages parents to make dental visits part and parcel of a child’s formative years. “Children need to understand the need to an start early in oral hygiene care. This basic care is the same as any other routine self-daily care. Oral care from young sets the mindset of these children that routine dental care is important.”
As a rule of thumb, everyone should brush their teeth twice a day, with brushing before bedtime a must.
“During sleep, salivation is minimal and food debris or plaque will be retained on the tooth surface for a long period of time.
“This can lead to an increased chance of demineralisation of the tooth surface that could eventually lead to cavities.
“In general, cavities are a result of an acidic condition caused by oral bacteria acting on substrates in the mouth.”
She adds early oral health care helps prevent dental related problems including toothache, dental related infection, and malocclusion, misalignment between teeth and dental arches.
“Consequences of untreated dental disease can lead to disturbed sleep, difficulty in eating, and absence from school.
“Severe untreated dental disease may put the child at risk of being teased because of poor dental appearance and repeated prescription of antibiotics,” says Dr Ng, who recommends that children visit dentists as early as a year old.
She explained dental visits allow dentists to monitor the dental development of the child and identify dental related problems in the early stages.
“Often, children are brought in to see a dentist when there is a problem. Hence, children have the impression that the dentist may do something ‘painful’ to them,” says Dr Ng who adds children need to see the dentist at least once a year.