KARACHI: The Pakistan Dental Association (PDA) has warned that situation of availability of dentists in small towns and rural areas of the country has become so much dismal that fatal oral diseases among their populace could spread like an epidemic if due corrective measures are not taken on an emergency basis.
The PDA issued this health alert on Tuesday as its office-bearers addressed a press conference here at the Press Club on the eve of World Oral Health Day being celebrated every year around the globe on 20th March.
“While here in Karachi, a dentist is available for every 5,000 people as the situation is similar in other big cities like Lahore and Islamabad. But when we go to the faraway district of Tharparkar, not a single dentist is available for a section of the population as big as 200,000 people,” said Dr Mahmood Shah, the PDA President while speaking at the press conference.
Dr Shah said that situation of availability of dental treatment services in rural and far-flung areas of the country had been going from bad to worse with each passing year instead of improving owing to the completely indifferent attitude of the relevant public health authorities.
He said that dentist-population ratio in Pakistan had been alarmingly uneven across the country as it fluctuates heavily between urban and rural areas as these statistics are far below than the standards of public health services set by the concerned global agencies like the World Health Organization.
“One of the means to rectify this situation is opening of dental colleges in small towns of the country as these institutions of dental education should not be just confined to the big cities,” said the PDA president.
He said that another mean could be proper activation of rural health centres of the provincial governments as dental surgeons should be recruited for placing them at these RHCs for the provision of the much-needed dental health services to the villagers.
Dr. Shah said that such measures had to be taken to extend the dental care services across the country as oral cancer had become the second most recurring form of cancerous diseases in Pakistan after lung cancer.
He said that various forms of chewable tobacco and other hazardous chewing stuff like Gutka, Mainpuri, betel nuts, Supari, were being consumed in the society unchecked as this social epidemic is equally affecting large cities, city suburbs, small towns, and rural areas.
He said that early screening and diagnosis of a case of oral cancer could ensure its complete treatment as otherwise, it could prove fatal for the patient if the case was not timely referred to a qualified dental surgeon.
“It is my recommendation that if a mouth ulcer persists for more than two weeks then the same should be properly examined by a qualified dental surgeon,” he said.
The PDA president said that apart from oral cancer, other dental ailments were easily preventable as that required adoption of good oral hygiene practices since the childhood days.
“Brushing of teeth is compulsory with any of the toothpaste containing Fluoride. That is the most fundamental oral hygiene practice, which should be adopted by all on a daily basis as a norm of their routine life,” he said.
He said that among children the most common oral health ailment was of tooth decay or dental caries whereas among the adults the common dental problem was of gum or periodontal disease.
Dr Shah said that both the most common oral health issues could effectively be prevented by adopting good hygiene practices. Tooth brushing of teeth twice a day is a compulsory practice for everyone, he said.
“Lastly I would suggest that one should not hesitate and readily visit a qualified dental surgeon if any of these common dentistry diseases has occurred as proper, recommended, and timely treatment of these ailments could prevent further complications related to oral health,” he said.
On the occasion Secretary General PDA Prof. Dr. Nasir Ali Khan, Dr. Asif Arain, Dr. Anwar Saeed also spoke on the occasion. Says in press release
