KARACHI - Oral health is indispensable for general health and carelessness towards cleaning of teeth and use of tobacco leads to various complications.
This was the theme of the second-day of three-day 10th International and 30th National Dental Congress being organised by Pakistan Dental Association (PDA) at Expo Centre on Saturday.
The speakers urged the people to adopt healthy habits in order to protect their teeth. They also advised them to brush daily and properly wash mouth and clean teeth after having meal. There is a need to put a check on children whether they are cleaning their teeth properly or not because slackness in childhood would cost entire life, they added.
The health experts maintained that dental diseases are the most common cause of human suffering, adding, dental health education plays an essential role in not only prevention of dental diseases but also maintenance of good oral hygiene for lifetime. Oral diseases were preventable, however, inadequate application of preventive measures and inappropriate establishment of oral healthcare delivery systems have led to ineffective control of these problems.
Lack of public attention towards oral health hold its socio-economic impact as children are often exposed to malnutrition and the adults suffering from infection are forced to skip their professional responsibilities, they added.
Children with tooth infections experience frequent diarrheal episodes and rushed to doctors, adding to the financial burden of their parents. Adults had a higher chance of foul smelling mouth which often turn them being ostracised by colleagues while intensity of pain and associated fever were among some of the most pertinent implications. They said oral diseases particularly caries and periodontal disease on the patients and their communities needed urgent attention of the government and the masses.
The speakers included Dr Asif Ali Shah, Dr Fazal Ghani, Prof Dr Nazia Yazdanie, Prof Dr Gunnar Eric, Afshin Yousefpour (UK), Prof Dr Hakk Tanyeri (Turkey), Dr Abu Bakr Sheik, Dr Irfan Qureshi, Dr Mansoor Majeed, Dr Maria Moin, Dr Khurram Pervez, Dr Imran Farooq, Dr Sehar Naz Farooqi, Dr Samira Adnan, Dr Nauman Qamar, Dr Sidra Akram, Dr Rehmat Baloch, Dr Shahzad Ali Shah, Dr Sanam Tauheed, Dr Nazish Fatima and others.