On the occasion of its 50th anniversary and in the run-up to World Oral Health Day (March 20), the UFSBD (French Union for Oral Health) points to an alarming situation:
58% of French people who have visited a dental office in the last 12 months did so for an emergency and 47% still think it takes less than 1 minute to brush your teeth (below the recommended time for effective brushing).
Other worrying figures: at age 5, 4% of children of executives have at least an untreated cavity against 23% for the children of workers and 75% of residents in EHPAD have a dilapidated state of oral health.
“Oral care remains one of the areas of health where prevention represents a real chance of being able to act on a pathology that is totally avoidable, because above all the result of behavior that is not or badly acquired”explains Dr. Sophie Dartevelle, President of the UFSBD, who calls for “awareness of public authorities”.
Preventive actions
To help raise awareness, the UFSBD wants oral hygiene products to be considered as basic necessities and subject to a reduction in VAT. In addition, dentists insist on the need to modify ANSM’s recommendations on fluoride, particularly for children. “Reinforce current fluoride doses would increase their chances of maintaining good oral health” emphasizes the UFSBD.
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