Some facts to chew on: Filipinos, more often than not, often disregard their dental health until it’s too late.
According to data gathered by the National Survey on Oral Health (NSOH) that was released this year, about 80 million Filipinos – or about 80 percent of the country’s population – suffer from tooth decay.
Moreover, the World Health Organization (WHO) has noted that 54 million Filipinos are affected by gum problems, with the average 70-year-old having only seven teeth remaining.
Factors contributing to this include the average Filipinos’ lack of access to dental care services, as well as the exorbitant costs of dental care services such as tooth removal or dental bridges.
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This is one issue the Rotary Club of San Pedro hopes to solve with its donation of a mobile dental clinic to the city government of San Pedro, Laguna last June 2.
Mayor Art Mercado personally received the donation from officials of the Rotary Club of San Pedro, along with officials of the Philippine Dental Association – San Pedro Chapter, during the flag-raising ceremony at the San Pedro City Hall.
The new mobile dental clinic is expected to boost the San Pedro City LGU's initiatives aimed at strengthening the city’s efforts to provide accessible and quality dental health services to its constituents.
“Lubos ang pasasalamat ko sa Rotary Club of San Pedro at sa Philippine Dental Association – San Pedro Chapter sa inyong pakikiisa at malasakit sa ating mga kababayan. Sa pamamagitan ng ating Mobile Dental Clinic, mas marami tayong maaabot na nangangailangan ng tulong at serbisyong pangkalusugan,” Mercado said in a social media post.
Under JLAEH management
City officials informed OpinYon Laguna that the new mobile dental clinic will be used to provide free dental services for San Pedrenses, especially in the city’s low-income areas where dental issues often go untreated.
“Ang mobile dental clinic po na ito ay ilalagay sa pamamahala ng Jose L. Amante Emergency Hospital (JLAEH), na siya ring magpo-provide ng mga kagamitan at tauhan para sa maintenance and operation nito,” officials added.
As of press time, the City Health Office is now finalizing the dates and venues of the operations of the mobile dental clinic in various barangays in San Pedro City.
“Mag-antabay po tayo sa mga official social media page ng ating lungsod para sa mga updates kung saan at kailan ide-deploy ang ating mobile dental clinic,” officials advised.
(Report by Catherine Go and James Veloso)
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