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View all search results93 percent of Indonesian children have poor dental health, nationwide screening shows
Experts have long observed that many Indonesian parents underestimate the importance of baby teeth, resulting in neglect of their children’s oral health and failure to instill healthy dental habits early on.
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Say 'aahh’: A dentist checks the teeth of a preschool student on Feb. 3 at Al Fatah Kindergarten in Depok, West Java. The activity was part of efforts to raise children’s awareness about dental health.
(Antara/Yulius Satria Wijaya)
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staggering number of Indonesian children suffer from poor dental health, government health checkups reveal, with officials citing limited access to dental care as the primary cause.
Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Arifatul Choiri Fauzi stated that 93 percent of Indonesia’s 52 million children suffer from cavities and other oral diseases.
“Only 7 percent of Indonesian children have good dental health. This data is quite concerning,” she said, during a free health checkup held on Monday at a special needs school in Semarang, Central Java.
This marks an increase compared with 2007, when the Health Ministry’s Basic Health Survey (Riskesdas) reported that 89 percent of children under 12 suffered from tooth decay.
Even more concerning, a 2019 World Health Organization survey found that nearly 47 percent of Indonesian children with cavities remain untreated.
Read also: Govt starts rolling out free health screening for schoolchildren
Minister Arifatul said disparities in access to dental health services across the country are the primary reason for the high prevalence of tooth decay among children.
