KUANTAN: The rate of usage of government dental facilities by Pahang residents is still low, says state health director Datuk Dr Nor Azimi Yunus.
She said that statistics in 2022 showed that only 24.6%, or one in four residents, used dental health services provided throughout the district.
"We are urging the people to be more aware of the need to maintain dental hygiene and have a check-up, at least once a year, on their birthdays.
"Remember your birthday, remember a visit to the dentist, because prevention and early treatment can prevent serious dental problems,” she told reporters after launching the state-level Dental Health Promotion Week at KotaSAS here today (July 8).
Dr Nor Azimi said there are 73 primary dental health facilities which provide basic dental treatment in Pahang, with 64 of them operating daily while the rest provide services on a visit basis.
Three mobile dental clinics, in Kuantan, Maran and Lipis, provide services through the Outreach Dental Health programme, in addition to eight types of specialist dental services provided in clinics and hospitals in the state.
To increase community awareness, Dr Nor Azimi said her department works with various parties, such as education agencies, religious institutions and agencies related to Orang Asli.
Dr Nor Azimi also reminded parents to focus on the dental health of their children, to ensure that they do not suffer from dental caries, the main dental problem faced, which can be avoided with proper dental health care practice.
She said the National Oral Health Survey for preschool children in 2015 found that 80.5% of five-year-old children in the state suffered from dental caries, which was the fifth highest in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, a similar survey for school students in 2017 found that 40.1% of pupils, aged 12, in the state had tooth decay, also the fifth highest in the country. - Bernama
