- Dental care.dk - http://www.tandpleje.dk -

Tandsundheden among Greenlandic children alarming

Tandsundheden among Greenlandic children and young people is so poor that small children down to one year of age will get pulled mælketænderne out.

“We must often remove the bad baby teeth because of advanced caries in young children,” says dentist Jørgen Ramstedt Jensen in Tasiilaq.

“If you do not take care of your teeth, you can get inflammation, and it goes not only the teeth but also the rest of the body gets affected,” says dental assistant Johanne Hansen to the CNTS.

A few years ago was the regular tandskylning with fluoride stopped in Tasiilaq, and children and young people have not been given regular dental examination or instruction in toothbrushing.
Tasiilaq rates now on, to be able to offer all primary school children regular dental examination and instruction in tooth brushing. And restores now the regular fluoride-rinses in children.

Nationwide cariesstrategi
The Greenland home rule government launched in 2006 a national strategic plan against caries called Cariesstrategi Greenland 2008 – 2012as part of the The Public Health Programme Inuuneritta. The strategic plan aimed, among other things, to step up efforts for the prevention of dental caries, and it should be mandatory by 1. January 2008, with the systematic tandplejetilbud to the population, or at least a systematic tandplejetilbud for children and young people, where there may not be sufficient capacity or economy to the entire population.

The National Tandbørstedag
As a direct cause of the poor dental health of the population of greenland, the Greenland home rule the 18. april 2007, as the first country in the world, a national tandbørstedag. The National Tandbørstedag in Greenland is 18. april.

Den Nationale Tandbørstedag

Greenland's National Tandbørstedag, 18. april - Photo: Kavalkadehæfte on the National tandbørstedag

Translated by Yandex.Translate and Global Translator