ORAL HEALTH CARE: Dr Jerip (centre) inspecting the products exhibited at the trade exhibition yesterday.
KUCHING: A time will come when we will have more than enough dentists as well as medical doctors to serve the country.
Sarawak is facing a shortage of dentists almost three times below the World Health Organisation (WHO) standard.
Assistant Minister of Public Health Dr Jerip Susil said the WHO standard was one dentist to every 4,000 people but here in Sarawak the ratio was one to 11,000.
“The shortage of dentists happens throughout the country and I was made to understand that in the peninsula, the ratio now is about one to 7,000 people,” he said.
Dr Jerip, who is Bengoh assemblyman, disclosed this at a news conference after representing Chief Minister Pehin Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud at the 2012 Commonwealth Dental Association (CDA)/Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) Joint International Scientific Convention & Trade Exhibition cum 69th MDA Annual General Meeting (AGM) at Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) here yesterday.
“In fact, we are not only facing shortage in dental doctors but also medical doctors. Anyway, a time will come when we have more than enough dentists as well as medical doctors to serve the country,” he said.
He said the government, with the help of the private sector, was now training more and more dental and medical doctors to meet the ever increasing demand.
Meanwhile, he said, there was a dire need to improve dental services in both the public and private sectors to provide better oral care to the people.
“I was also told that we are having very high dentine hypersensitivity in the state and as such the government is very pleased to note that many non-governmental organisations (NGOs), such as the Lions Club and others, have been playing an active role in creating awareness of oral health not only in urban but also rural areas.
“Besides, the Health Ministry also has ongoing awareness programmes to promote dental healthcare in schools,” he said.
MDA president Dr Mohd Muzafar Hamirudin said in Malaysia about 40 per cent of adults have sensitive teeth which was much higher than the global average of 30 per cent.
He said in a bid to educate patients and raise public awareness on sensitive teeth and how it can lead to poor oral health and reduce the quality of life, the ‘Fight Against Tooth Sensitivity Campaign’ was launched, an initiative championed by MDA and Sensodyne.
Through this campaign, dentists from across the country would, for the first time, come together to pledge to fight tooth sensitivity and will screen an estimated 3.5 million patients a year.