MP N.Oyundari and Doctors Without Borders report on free dental checkups

Member of Parliament N.Oyundari and German doctors from Doctors Without Borders NGO (DWB) held a briefing about their charity work on July 30 in Ulaanbaatar.

Doctors Without Borders is an international humanitarian medical non-governmental organization of French origin best known for its projects in conflict zones and in countries affected by endemic diseases.

During the briefing, N.Oyundari said that 26 oral hygienists and dentists of DWB have provided free dental checkups and treatment for over 8,500 people in Khuder, Altanbulag, Javkhlant, Shaamar, Dulaankhaan, Sukhbaatar, Mandal, Saikhan, and Khutul soums of Selenge Province for 14 days.

The lawmaker emphasized that DWB has provided Mongolians with free dental checkups and treatment for 12 years and spent 500 million MNT for dental treatment services in Mongolia.

Throughout their 12-year mission in Mongolia, DWB’s dentists worked in Bayankhongor, GoviAltai, Khuvsgul and Tuv provinces.

The dentists plan to work in some other provinces in 2019 as DWB’s dentists agreed to continue providing Mongolians dental checkups next year as tooth decay is the most prevalent chronic problem among Mongolians, especially children.

According to a report from the Ministry of Health, nearly 90 percent of Mongolian children between the ages of two and 12 suffer from dental decay.

During the report, dentists stressed that parents do not advise children on how to clean their teeth and it becomes the fundamental reason for dental problems. Therefore, parents were advised to educate their children about dental hygiene and to assist their child until they are able to do it themselves.

A German dentist pointed out that having healthy teeth and oral cavity of children between the ages of zero and 18 is a part of the government policy in Germany, and training on oral hygiene and advice are provided regularly to children.

The dentist stated, “Dental sealants are used for all children between the ages of zero and 18 for preventing tooth decay”.