Dental treatment not simple: Professor<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): There is more than just getting a filling and a
\nperfect set of teeth when going to a dentist. Yet dentists and
\npatients are both guilty of neglecting aspects beyond aesthetic
\nones, a leading orthodontist says.<\/p>\n
As the practice of making periodical visits to the dentist is
\nnow picking up among wealthier Indonesians, Hendro Kusnoto said
\nyesterday that orthodontic treatment should be preceded by
\nintensive studies to guard against new health problems.<\/p>\n
Hendro, who was yesterday installed as a professor at Trisakti
\nUniversity's school of dentistry, pointed out that dentists often
\nneglect the research required before surgery takes place.<\/p>\n
\"People have lately become more aware of their appearances.
\nBut if orthodontic corrections are made only for aesthetic
\nreasons without considering the impact on other aspects of
\nhealth, new problems will appear,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Orthodontics is a branch of dentistry dealing with faulty
\ntooth occlusion and its correction.<\/p>\n
Any orthodontic or orthopedic treatment, he said, could change
\nthe whole chain of a patient's digestive and verbal system.<\/p>\n
Advances in science and technology which has led to the
\ndevelopment of expensive, sophisticated equipment used in
\northodontic surgery, often cause dentists to forget the patient's
\ninterests and turn instead to a more commercialized orientation.<\/p>\n
\"Orthodontic treatment is not as simple as it seems,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendro said there is currently a popular but incorrect view
\nwhich sees sophisticated orthodontic treatment simply as fixing
\nbraces on a patient's teeth -- currently a somewhat popular trend
\namong some Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"Orthodontic treatment...involves knowledge about the complex
\ngrowth and development process of the teeth and determines the
\nmajor cause, or flaws resulting in, a malocclusion,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hendro explained that a correct diagnosis and analysis is
\nvital because it would be the grounds to establish plans for
\ntechnical dental treatment.<\/p>\n
Therefore, he added, orthodontic treatment, which is
\nconventionally aimed at improving facial appearances, would also
\nhave to take into account the side-effects of strain, dysfunction
\nand pain on other nerve muscles.<\/p>\n
Hendro graduated from Trisakti University's school of
\ndentistry in 1968. He completed his graduate studies in Paris'
\nUniversite de Paris and Bandung's Padjadjaran University in 1972
\nand 1988, respectively.<\/p>\n
Hendro, 55 years old, was initiated as a specialist in
\northodontics during a 1978 National Congress of the Indonesian
\nAssociation of Dentists.<\/p>\n
In his oration, Hendro also said that there is now an ever
\nincreasing appreciation of the dentistry profession, specially
\nwith the World Health Organization (WHO)'s declaration of 1994 as
\nthe Year of Healthy Teeth.<\/p>\n
WHO's decision is a boost to those in the profession in
\nIndonesia because dentistry has not been given its due priority
\nby the people in the country, he said.<\/p>\n
He said the government, in this case the Ministry of Health,
\nhas now also recognized the importance of the people's oral
\nhealth.<\/p>\n
He stressed the need to give greater attention to
\nmalocclusion, which could lead to physical or even mental
\nhandicaps.<\/p>\n
He estimated that the prevalence of malocclusion among
\nIndonesian children is as high as 75 percent, and of these, 40
\npercent should be given curative treatment. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/dental-treatment-not-simple-professor-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}