Keep oral diseases away
By Conrad Mwanawashe
Did you know that poor oral health can negatively impact your self-esteem?
Dentists under the Australian and New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMH) concluded that dental experts believe that, for instance, “bad breath can make individuals self-conscious, leading them to avoid socializing, speaking up in public, or being intimate with others”.
“Similarly, visible dental problems such as missing discoloured, or crooked teeth can make people feel embarrassed, affecting their self-esteem and confidence. Consequently, people with poor oral health may suffer from anxiety, depression and other psychological problems, affecting their overall quality of life,” the ANZMH said.
As Zimbabwe joined the international community to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and the importance of oral hygiene, Wednesday, Health and Child Care Deputy Minister, Sleiman Kwidini concurred, saying that oral health contributes to eating, pronunciation and swallowing, smiling, facial appearance, and self-esteem.
The World Oral Health Day is celebrated on March 20 every year. This year, Zimbabwe marked the Oral Health Day at Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals under the theme: “A Happy Mouth is a Happy Body”.
“The health status of the mouth is the reflection of the general health of the body. Some generalized diseases are initially picked up in the mouth,” said Kwidini.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines oral health as a state of being free from chronic mouth and facial pain, oral and throat cancer, oral sores, birth defects such as cleft lip and palate, periodontal (gum) disease, tooth decay, and tooth loss, and other diseases and disorders that affect the oral cavity.
“Members of the public are encouraged to seek oral health services,” added Kwidini.
But there are gaps in service delivery, information for programming, oral health workforce, and tools of the trade (equipment, consumables, and instruments), according to the oral health situational analysis, carried out last year with support from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“A National Oral Health Survey and Strategy development which were recommended will be carried out this year. This will provide a road map to make sure that no one is left behind. Periodic surveys will be carried out in the future to assess progress,” said Kwidini.
Acting WHO Representative to Zimbabwe, Professor Jean-Marie Dangou said in a speech read on his behalf that while the region has experienced the steepest rise globally in oral diseases over the last three decades, spending on treatment costs remains extremely low, according to a new report by WHO.
“Oral diseases that include dental cares, gum diseases, loss of teeth remain very prevalent affecting about 44% of the population in the African region. As WHO we are also worried about the limited investment for oral health care. For instance, half of the countries in the African region do not have oral health policies,” said Dangou.
“We’re also worried that according to our latest reports over 70% of countries in the region have spent less than US$ 1 per person per year on treatment costs for oral health care. We’re also worried that there’s a chronic deficit of oral health workforce, for instance, in the region, we have less than one dentist for every 10,000 people. In Zimbabwe, we know that our oral health force is limited in number and they need continued capacity development.
“As we tackle oral health, most of the oral diseases are preventable through preventing or controlling common risk factors such as:
- Avoiding use of all forms of tobacco and alcohol consumption;
- Adopting a healthy diet
- Adequate exposure to fluoride is an essential factor in the prevention of dental caries.
- Twice-daily tooth brushing with fluoride-containing toothpaste (1000 to 1500 ppm) should be encouraged.”
