Taduran...

LESS than one minute a day. That’s the average time our neighbors, the Malaysians, brush their teeth.

The 24-year-old Cuarto, on the other hand, had a muchexperienced 18- 2- 2 boxing card, with 11 of his wins coming by way of knockouts.

The Taduran- Cuarto world t i t l e match, t he sixth all- Filipino world c hampionship bout i n boxing history, will be the main event of “The Puncher” boxing card being staged by senator Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions./

“There’s even some who brush their teeth for less than 10 seconds!”

The statement came from Dr. Mohd Khairul Izwan, a dentist f rom Malaysia’s Ministry of Health ( MOH) who shared the information in a Facebook post.

“Shocking,’’ said Esther

Liew writing in worldbuzz. com.

Shocking to me as well because, as we are all neighbors in Southeast Asia, I wonder how it is here in the Philippines.

While there are no statistics that reflect the length of time Filipinos spend on brushing, other numbers may reflect the sad state of our oral health.

The Department of Health ( DOH) considered the oral disease to be a continuing “s erious public health problem.”

The prevalence of tooth decay on permanent teeth has generally remained above 90 percent throughout the years, the DOH said.

About nine in 10 or 92.4 percent of Filipinos have tooth decay ( dental caries) and nearly eight in 10 or 78 percent have gum diseases ( periodontal diseases). “Although preventable, these diseases affect almost every Filipino at one point or another in his or her lifetime,’’ the DOH said.

The American Dental A s s o c i a t i o n ( A D A ) recommended brushing for two minutes, twice per day. Less than that and not much plaque is removed from the teeth. (Plaque is the thin film from food that forms around teeth. It becomes acidic in time and corrodes the enamel that coast teeth.)

If you’re not doing exactly that, you might want to know, if misery loves company, that most Americans only brush for about 45 seconds, according to a 2009 study published in The Journal of Dental Hygiene.

They and others who practice short time in brushing run the risk of facing dental issues even if they brush their teeth every day, after every meal, Dr. Khairul warned.

A short time devoted to brushing means that hidden cracks and molars at the back of the mouth are not cleaned.

“That’s why there are still people who suffer from dental problems even though they brush their teeth every day,” Dr. Khairul said.

Then there’s the tongue that must also be brushed as it is “among the biggest contributors t o dental problems,” he added.

He suggested that one should brush his t eeth for two to four minutes u s i n g f l u o r i d a t e d t oothpaste at l east t wo times a day, morning and night.

Make a habit of gargling and rinsing the mouth with water after meals.

Brush all sides and every surface of the teeth and not just the teeth facing forward.

To prevent erosion, a soft brush is better than a hard one.

And yes, brush your tongue./

PN