Too many rotten teeth in town
Nearly 70 percent of local children aged 5 suffer from tooth decay and the percentage is 32.9 among children aged 12, local health authorities said on Sunday, ahead of the National Tooth Care Day on September 20.
Though the prevalence has been reduced from one decade ago and also lower than the national level, which is 71.9 for children aged 5 and 38.5 percent for children aged 12, the incidence of tooth decay among local children (68.2 percent) remains a high level and should arouse further awareness among parents and the society.
Oral health is closely related with cerebral and cardiovascular diseases and diabetes as well as influences a person’s overall health and life quality. Theme of this year’s tooth care day is “dental health and overall health,” said officials from Shanghai Commission of Health and Family Planning.
Periodontal health among local elderly is poorer than the national level, as only 7.4 percent of persons between 65 and 74 years old have healthy periodontal condition, dropping by 8.8 percentage points than the previous decade.
Under the city’s chronic disease prevention and control plan, Shanghai has been promoting dental public service like student’s tooth decay monitoring and treatment.