Over 90% of Vietnamese Suffer from Dental Diseases: Expert

Over 90% of Vietnamese suffer from dental diseases such as tooth decay, gingivitis, and dental defects in children, said Trinh Dinh Hai, director of the National Hospital of Odonto-Stomalogy. He made the statement at a recent meeting organized by the hospital on March 20. He stressed that many dental and oral diseases can cause nephritis syndrome or joint arthritis. At the meeting, the health experts called for increasing community awareness on oral health and prevention of dental diseases. Hai also suggested dentists and relevant authorities expand the school dental program to protect dental health of students and to maintain the fluoridated water supply program. According to the recent figures, there is one dentist in Vietnam for 25,000 people, whereas in developed countries the rate is one per 1,000-2,000 people. (Vietnam News Mar 20)