(By Dr. Joseph D. Lim and Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim)
THERE IS a lesson to be learned from Thailand.
In that beautiful country, oral health is a right, not a privilege.
Through Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – what Filipinos call PhilHealth is just a part of it – a range of oral health services are being made available to reverse the fact that nearly half of populations (in Thailand, the Philippines and elsewhere) suffer from one or more oral disease or condition that’s often left untreated.
That’s about 3.5 billion people or half of the world’s population with one or more untreated oral health issue/s. These oral health issues are caused by high sugar consumption, tobacco or alcohol use – among many factors that are mainly preventable.
In 2002, Thailand started to offer comprehensive healthcare through UHC: three public health insurance schemes that cover the entire population with prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation services.
For many years now, the Thai Ministry of Public Health has implemented oral health education programs to encourage schoolchildren to practice good oral habits at an early age. At home and in schools, teachers, parents, communities, and local health workers cooperate to promote oral health as a part of UHC.
According to the head of a primary school in Angthong province, the critical success is also because oral health self-care is undertaken by students themselves, children’s oral health care at home by parents, oral health education by schoolteachers, the healthy school lunch program by the school chef, health care services by health and oral health personnel.
The Dental Association of Thailand (DAT) promotes the school oral health program through guidance that aims to prevent early tooth decay, including the use of fluoride-based products and caries risk assessment guidelines. The DAT also supports initiatives to remove sugar added in baby formula.
Since 2019, all Thai dental students are exposed to smoking cessation practices through the core curriculum of all dental schools. To encourage tobacco control, the Thai Dentist Alliance against Tobacco collaborated with DAT and the Ministry of Public Health to promote oral cancer screening. Since 2021, the program allows those above 40 years old to be screened once a year.
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Dr. Joseph D. Lim, Ed. D., is the former Associate Dean of the College of Dentistry, University of the East; former Dean, College of Dentistry, National University; Past President and Honorary Fellow of the Asian Oral Implant Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Japan College of Oral Implantologists; Honorary Life Member of the Thai Association of Dental Implantology; and Founding Chairman of the Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail jdlim2008@gmail.com or text 0917-8591515.
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Dr. Kenneth Lester Lim, BS-MMG, DDM, MSc-OI, graduated Doctor of Dental Medicine, University of the Philippines, College of Dentistry, Manila, 2011; Bachelor of Science in Marketing Management, De la Salle University, Manila, 2002; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Oral Implantology, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany, 2019. He is an Associate Professor; Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists; and Fellow, Philippine College of Oral Implantologists. For questions on dental health, e-mail limdentalcenter@gmail.com/PN
