The project “Promoting Child Oral Health and Managing Tooth Decay in Preschool Children” led by Dr Duangporn Duangthip, Senior Clinical Practitioner in Cariology, won the university-level Knowledge Exchange (KE) Excellence Award 2021. Other team members included Professor CH Chu, Clinical Professor in Cariology; Professor Edward Lo, Chair Professor in Dental Public Health and Professor Cynthia Yiu, Clinical Professor in Paediatric Dentistry.
Untreated tooth decay in primary teeth creates a significant economic and health burden, affecting over 620 million children worldwide. The latest oral health survey conducted by the Hong Kong Government in 2011 found that half (51%) of the 5-year-old children had dental caries and over 90% of the decayed primary teeth were untreated. In addition, 75% of the 5-year-old children in Hong Kong have never visited a dentist.
Dental caries, though largely preventable, is a significant public health problem among preschool children in Hong Kong and in many countries. Untreated caries leads to pain and infection which affect children’s oral health-related quality of life. Traditional treatment using restorative approaches, such as dental filling and crown, causes dental fear among children (even parents!). The treatment costs are beyond the financial capabilities of many families from disadvantaged communities. In view of this, “A call for pragmatic action on how to improve child oral health in a feasible, cost-effective and sustainable way arose,” said Dr Duangthip.
Dr Duangporn Duangthip