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PASAY CITY, Philippines: A newly established chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future in the Philippines is aiming to improve the country’s devastating state of oral health. Its goals presented to the public at the recent 105th annual convention of the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) in Pasay City include the development and nationwide implementation of caries prevention and management systems by 2020.
While the declaration was lacking in details, the initiative aims for every child born after 2026 to be cavity free. It said it will first target schools in particular in order to heighten awareness in the education sector that caries is a preventable disease and can result in a lower quality of life if untreated.
Although figures from the Department of Health have shown that over 87 per cent of people in the South-East Asian country suffer from tooth decay, caries prevalence is especially high in children, which experts say is due to neglected treatment, as well as high consumption of sugar and sugar-containing products.
“Eradicating dental caries is a ground–up effort, and we must enable each Filipino to learn and practise good daily dental habits,” Dr Corazon Flores, newly elected President of the PDA commented. “By reinforcing a culture of a cavity-free future, dental practitioners and public health officers can then move their focus from restoration and management to prevention and protection.”
In addition to the PDA, the chapter consists of representatives of the Philippine government, educational institutions, as well as several local and regional dental associations, including the Asia Pacific Dental Federation. It will report to the alliance’s global headquarters in London in the UK.
Formed in 2010 by members of the World Health Organization, Pan American Health Organization, FDI World Dental Federation and International Association for Dental Research, the ACFF currently has chapters in Europe and a number of countries in Latin America. According to its website, its main goal is to enhance collaboration between dental stakeholders to learn more about caries in its early stages and reduce the burden of the disease on a global scale.
