Bhutanese people visit hospitals for dental care at the last stage, where tooth/teeth cannot be treated. Annually, 25 per cent of the population visit hospitals for dental problems indicating that oral hygiene is not satisfactory. This is according to a recent study conducted by the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) to understand the burden of different types of dental cases seen in hospitals across the 20 districts.
As oral health has a direct impact on overall health, the study recommends conducting a proper study to address the existing dental problems in the communities.
According to the study, school-going children reported the highest dental caries (tooth decay) prevalence at 83.9 per cent. The burden is also still very high among elderly people.
“Dental caries is so high in Bhutan because most of our people do not use fluoridated toothpaste. We do not get fluoride in any other sources in Bhutan except fluoridated toothpaste. Maybe we can get it from animal products or vegetables but it is very less,” said Dr Gyan Prasad Bajgai, Sr. Dental Surgeon.
The study also found that people visited the hospital very late despite all the medical and dental services provided by the state. And only 25 per cent of the people suffer from dental illness every year indicating poor oral health in the country.
“They come almost towards the end stage where we cannot salvage the tooth so we need to go for the extraction or root canal treatment. When it comes to that stage, it is quite an advanced stage. Even in the case of cancer, now we can diagnose at a very early stage but the problem is patient never turns up early,” added Dr Gyan.
He added that people should visit the dentist at least twice a year for an oral health check-up and encouraged people to consume more fruits and vegetables.
And according to a global research study conducted by Unilever, modelling good oral care habits like day and night brushing is important.
The World Oral Health Day was observed in the capital today to raise awareness on safeguarding oral health to ensure the general health, well-being and good quality of life.
Kinzang Lhadon
