Opinion: Oral health should be given more attention

The World Oral Health Day, which raises awareness on the importance of oral hygiene, was celebrated recently.

The global event offered an opportunity for some reflection on the state of oral health in Kenya.

Our oral health indicators are still unacceptably low. Furthermore, the public and policy makers are not well sensitised on issues around oral health.

It is noteworthy that dental caries, also known as tooth decay, has a prevalence of 34.3 per cent among Kenyan adults and 46.3 per cent among children.

Despite high prevalence, a negligible proportion of Kenyans seek dental treatment and the majority do so only when there is pain and discomfort.

These are some of the key findings of the Kenya Oral Health Survey 2015 that cogently speak to the general lack of awareness on issues around oral health in Kenya.

The survey, the first of its kind in Kenya, involved 2298 children and 1462 adults. It was commissioned by Wrigley as part of the company’s ongoing efforts to fill knowledge gaps in oral health policy. Based on the survey, it is clear that we need to raise awareness about oral health.

Although tooth decay does not make headlines, the consequences of poor dental care are severe.

They include poor nutrition, severe infections, degraded school performance, and acute and chronic pain. Tooth decay can also contribute to low self-esteem, leading to psycho-social disorders.

It is instructive to note that tooth decay is just one kind of oral illness, there are many more, including gum disease.

However, in all instances, prevention is a more effective response than cure. Therefore, we need to identify and implement sustainable prevention strategies.

The most obvious way to prevent tooth decay is to have people brush their teeth at least twice a day.

It is also essential to use toothpaste that contains fluoride to help strengthen tooth enamel. Getting people to increase the frequency of brushing is, at its heart, a matter of driving behavioural change.

Unfortunately, changing our behaviour and routine is always an uphill task.

The reality is that behavioural change is a process and not an event. It requires patience and basic understanding of human behaviour patterns.

As a starting point, we need to be cognisant of the fact that children are more open to behaviour change than adults.

That is why it is important we start working with children when they are still impressionable and haven’t established enduring habits. In this respect, Wrigley is working closely with key stakeholders in the education sector to include oral health in the syllabus.

In September 2016 we organised a forum for high-level representatives from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum

Development, the University of Nairobi, the Kenya Dental Association, and Ministry of Health, who met and charted a roadmap for the integration of oral health into the school curriculum. Going forward, we are keen on influencing health policy so that dental health ranks higher up the priority list for the government.

It is unfortunate that Kenya’s dentists to population ratio is 1 to 44,000 in the public sector and that only 20 per cent of dentists are in rural areas, according to data from the Ministry of Health.

Finally, we must appreciate the fact that oral health, by its very nature, is capital intensive. A dental plan does not come cheap nor is research to identify oral health needs any more affordable.

We therefore need to identify ingenious ways of financing oral health care, including supporting more partnerships between Government and private sector.

As Wrigley, we have taken the liberty of sponsoring research and advocacy to support evidenced-driven oral health policy.