Visits to dentist ineffective for 30 years

Sari P. Setiogi The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Hundreds of billions of rupiah have been spent on the School Dental Health Care Unit (UKGS) program for elementary students over the past few decades without producing satisfactory results, prompting the government to introduce fit-fissure sealant.

Head of the Department of Dental Public Health and Preventive Dentistry at the University of Indonesia Budiharto said fit- fissure sealant would protect children's teeth from caries better than natural fluoride (NaF), which has been widely used since the program started four decades ago.

"The project costs about Rp 14 billion per year and so far it has achieved almost nothing," Budiharto told The Jakarta Post.

NaF is given to students as a mouthwash twice a week during the visit of a dentist to a state elementary school. In Jakarta the program is effective, but in remote areas it sometimes takes place twice a year only, due to the absence of dentists.

"Jakarta has more dentists than other cities. While here a dentist is able to handle four UKGS, nobody wants to work in remote areas," he said.

Budiharto said the use of fit-fissure sealant would remain viable to prevent caries for up to two months, making it unnecessary for a dentist to visit a school very frequently.

Besides, the use of fit-fissure sealant will slash a lot of state budget allocated to UKGS, as it costs Rp 4,625 (54 US cents) per student, compared with NaF at Rp 12,065 (US$1.4).

UKGS is intended for first- to sixth-year elementary students, who learn how to brush their teeth properly. Those who arrive with dental problems can also get treatment at a community health center (Puskesmas).

Dentist Febriana S. Sugito said on Saturday that students who washed their mouths with NaF solution twice a week managed to improve their resistance to caries by 30 percent to 40 percent.

Caries is a nonspecific bacterial disease in which infecting organisms penetrate the enamel coating of teeth. A high consumption of sugar predisposes people to the development of caries.