We know it is too late for your Filipino dentist to remind you that February is the Philippine Dental Health Month. March is already here and the Dental Health Month celebration will soon reach a kind of monotonous end.
But did Dental Health Month successfully send its message across all the 7,000 islands and islets in the Philippines? This year’s theme is: “Ngiping Inaalagaan at Pinagyaman, Hatid ay Ngiting di Kukupas Kailanman.” It translates to: teeth that are always taken care of and enhanced will bring a smile that lasts forever.
Fulfilling a mission of making the whole archipelago tooth decay free is an impossible feat. We’re not being skeptics but being plain realistic. Even a month is not enough to increase awareness on how important dental care is. It should be a continuous mission that not only our Filipino dentists should be held accountable.
A Filipino dentist will not knock on your door and give you fliers or talk you into it. When was the last time you visited one? Ah, it was that time when you were complaining about a wiggly and painful tooth problem. A Filipino dentist’s role starts before and during a tooth problem. “Before” is the safe stage where you dutifully visit a dentist every six months as recommended. “During” is when it actually happens and you have no choice but to get acquainted with the dental drill.
Another imposing challenge is the geographical feature of our country. Yes, we have internet. Yes, we have access to social media, and according to Entrepreneur Philippines, the average time spent per day by internet users is 4.3 hours. However, the internet penetration in the country in 2016 is only 43.5%. Moreover, there is a little possibility you would likely stumble upon Philippine Dental Association’s National Dental Health Month 2017 Facebook page.
Going back to the geographical dilemma, maybe there are far-flung barangays or barrios where medical or dental facilities are scarce. In a PhilStar article, it reports that “the ideal ratio is at least 25 healthcare workers for every 10,000 population.” The ratio as of 2016 is five per 10,000. What more if the area cannot be travelled by any means of transportation?
This is where NGOs like the Dentistry For Every Village Foundation, Inc. helps indigent patients. It is a foundation founded by a Filipino dentist, Edgardo A. de la Vega, DDS, who is based in California. What is their mission? According to their website, their objectives are:
- Build and donate fully equipped dental offices to far out villages in the Philippines which have responsible and established health care institutions who can run and manage a dental clinic and provide low cost and/or free dental care.
- Sponsors and funds “dental missions” to underprivileged residents of poor villages in the country carried out by licensed Filipino dentists who work as unpaid volunteers.
- Awards scholarships to senior dental students in the country who are in need of financial assistance.
We think it is only appropriate to mend our previous statement. There are Filipino dentists who are willing to knock on your doors although you’re living in a remote village to educate you the importance of dental care and going an extra mile by building a dental clinic.
Health 360 World 