Crisis 'should not lead to poor dental health'

JAKARTA (JP): An expert in dentistry said on Saturday the economic crisis should not be an excuse to neglect dental health.

Sri Harini Soemartono, a professor at the University of Indonesia's School of Dentistry, said people should not have any problems with dental care during the crisis if they are aware of proper cleaning methods.

She refused to respond to a question on whether a change in eating patterns during the crisis -- which has seen the emergence of millions of newly impoverished people and has forced many to survive on only one meal a day -- would also affect children's dental development.

On Nov. 12 last year, the government commemorated the 33rd National Health Day taking up the theme of "Improving awareness of dental health to build better human resources." Children's dental health was among the focus of the day.

"People should start cleaning their teeth from an early age, when babies have their first teeth," Sri said after a ceremony installing her as a professor of the school.

Mothers can clean their babies' teeth by brushing them gently with a wet, soft material like cotton.

A 1995 Ministry of Health survey revealed that 64 percent of children under five years old in the country never brushed their teeth.

Ministry data in 1994 showed that 96 percent of the same age group had cavities, with an average of nine damaged teeth per child.

In her presentation, Sri explained the relation between children's feeding patterns and dental health.

She said cavities were a major problem in children's dental health.

According to another health ministry report in 1994, the number of 12-year-old children with cavities increased to 2.70 percent in 1990 from 0.70 in 1970.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has set a target for less than 3 percent of 12 year olds to have cavities and 50 percent in the five to six year-old-age group by the year 2000.

Sri said letting babies drink milk or other sweet liquid from a bottle caused cavities.

"Babies often fall asleep with bottles in their mouths. This causes their front teeth to absorb the sugar in the milk and causes cavities," she explained.

Poor dental treatment could lead to a high instance of cavities.

Children with cavities have been found to weigh less and are shorter than those without cavities.

Sri said it would be better for mothers to breast-feed. If a mother has to feed her baby milk formula from a bottle, she should do it in a sitting position to ensure the milk does not saturate her baby's teeth.

She said children should be taught to choose "healthy food" for the sake of their dental health.

Artificially sweet food and snacks should be eaten in moderation to avoid cavities.

"It's more economical to maintain dental health than paying dental fees," she said. (01)