Although we should think about the health of our mouth on a regular basis, every year on March 20 is World Oral Health Day. It’s wild to think that the FDI World Dental Federation is encouraging the world’s population to “Say Ahhhh” today. The FDI wants everyone to ponder the connection between oral health and general health/well-being. “Say Ahh: Think Mouth. Think Health” is the 2018 theme.
Check out the events, social media and internet chatter all over the world about #WOHD18 today.
According to a recent FDI global survey, children are not getting dental check-ups early enough. In a press release released by FDI today, the results of a survey across ten countries found that 13 percent of parents with children 18 and below went to the dentist before their first birthday (the recommended age for a first dental visit). Most parents first took their child to the dentist when they were between one and three years old (24 percent) or between four and six years old (22 percent), while 20 percent of parents reported never having taken their child for a dental check-up.
According to the findings presented in the press release, half of the parents took their child to the dentist for a regular dental check-up. These parents were in the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Argentina, France, Australia, and China. But not the case with parents in Egypt, the Philippines, and Morocco. Their reason for taking son or daughter to the dentist was mouth pain or discomfort.
That’s why we preach prevention…starting at an early age. Have your teeth cleaned every six months to avoid a major problem. Six-month cleanings allow us to keep an eye on your teeth and prevent potential problem areas or manage them before becoming an emergency situation. Even when your child is in braces, we can still clean his/her teeth. Simply coordinate with your orthodontist to have your wires taken out for a day or a few hours, and we can do a solid cleaning! #WOHD18
