Expert says most children suffer from dental cavities

JAKARTA (JP): Ninety-five percent of 2.4 million children between six and 12 years old in Jakarta suffer from dental cavities, an expert said Saturday.

Heriandi Sutandi, head of the Children's Dentistry Division at the University of Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post that the high number of cavities was uncovered in last year's survey by the university's School of Dentistry.

Based on the survey, 70 percent of children between two and five years old have cavities, while 60 percent of teenagers between 12 and 16 also have them.

The high percentage of cavity cases was also found in other big cities, including Bandung, Surabaya, Medan and Semarang.

Heriandi said most cavities were caused by the consumption of sweets and junk food.

"Ice cream, candy, chocolate and milk alter children's diets," he said at a one-day dental health campaign at Taman Ria Senayan, Central Jakarta.

Children in big cities, including Jakarta, were free to eat almost any kind of food without knowing how the food affected their health, he said.

"Unfortunately most parents only have limited knowledge about dental care. Many of them don't care enough about maintaining their teeth."

The most effective way to avoid tooth decay was by routinely brushing your teeth at least twice daily, he said. And after children consumed sweets, they should wash there mouths out with water.

"The habit of maintaining clean teeth must start at an early age," Heriandi said.

"Just because they don't have a complete set of permanent teeth yet doesn't mean they're not prone to cavities or other mouth infections," he said.

To protect teeth from cavities, the use of fluoride toothpaste is recommended.

"Fluoride can also be consumed naturally, either by eating a lot of fish and vegetables or drinking ground water."

That was why children living in coastal areas showed resistance to cavities because they ate a lot of fish, he said.

Heriandi said the lack of knowledge in protecting and maintaining healthy teeth was the main obstacle in building people's awareness.

"For instance, the amount of cavities found in 3-month-old babies occur because the parents don't know that giving a baby a bottle of milk while sleeping is very damaging.

"When the baby sleeps, the milk remains in its mouth together with bacteria which easily stimulates acid production. Then the acid reacts with the teeth and created holes," he said.

There was a survey which revealed that every two cavities in a tooth, if not treated immediately, would double in size within six months, he said.

"It's very important for people to have a routine dental checkup at least once a year. Many people are afraid to go to the dentist, because they say treatment hurts.

"That perception is wrong. People usually go to the dentist when their teeth are already in bad condition. If they go to the dentist sooner, there won't be any problems," he added.

The dental health campaign was jointly held by University of Indonesia's School of Dentistry and Taman Ria Senayan.

Among activities held Saturday were a dental health competition, smiling competition, free dental checkups, children's choirs and dance performances.

Mrs. F. Sujudi, wife of Minister of Health Sujudi, kicked off Saturday's campaign, accompanied by the dentistry school's dean Faruk Hoesin.

Minister Sujudi said earlier the government was to launch a national campaign this week on fluoridated drinking water to help combat dental problems.

He said the rate of periodontal disease -- which affected gum tissue surrounding the teeth -- was very high, affecting 86 percent of the national population.

The fluoridation campaign was supported by international health institutions, including the World Health Organization. (07)