GETTING STARTED: (From left) Taksiah, Mariam, Chia, Fatimah and Lau (third right) with the others.
MIRI: A total of 246,685 or 95.9 per cent of primary schoolchildren in the state have received incremental dental health care in 2012.
Of this, 238,268 or 96.0 per cent had achieved the level of optimum oral health, having received treatment for dental filling and extractions.
Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah disclosed
these figures when officiating at ‘Dental Health Promotion’ at Bintang Megamall here yesterday.
“Secondary school students are not left out, as they too have received systematic and comprehensive dental care from dental health care officers.
“To date, 56,159 or 26.9 per cent of them in Sarawak have received dental health care,” she said.
Hence, the government hoped to upgrade the encouraging achievement in previous years through five main targets for 2020, including all levels of society from pre-schoolchildren to adults.
In this context, greater awareness and knowledge on the importance of dental health care should be prioritised in order to achieve Vision 2020.
Fatimah, nevertheless, was happy with the concerted effort initiated by Ministry of Health and Institute of Teacher Education Sarawak Campus, Miri to come up with this ‘Dental Health Promotion’ in conjunction with the ‘2013 Miri Hospital Dental Day’.
Sarawak Dental Health director Dr Chia Jit Chie, Miri Dental Promotion Unit (Uniprom) chairman Taksiah Tommy and Bintang Megamall executive chairman Professor Datuk Lau Siu Wai, were among those present at the function.
Teachers were also present to instil in the schoolchildren the habit of looking after their teeth well by complying with health regulations.
Meanwhile, Miri dental officer Dr Wan Mariam Wan Abdul Rahman, thanked Lau for his strong support and cooperation, as well as his kindness in allowing Bintang Megamall to be used as the programme’s venue.