Oral health status and traditions in the Philippines

With an annual population growth of 2.71 per cent per year the government is harnessing all available resources so that every Filipino can enjoy a decent way of life. Since the majority of the population is in the rural areas, priority health services are directed towards this particular segment. Because of meagre income among the rural population all health services are given free, except for major operations, medicines and dental procedures such as the construction of partial and full dentures, porcelain restorations, root canal therapy and major oral surgery. Older people in the rural areas still adhere to their beliefs and traditions to alleviate the pain of toothache, particularly in the areas which cannot be reached by dentists. Because their fees are minimal the services of quack doctors/dentists and faith healers are still sought. In the Philippines, although dental health services have been given a low priority by the government, preventive dental health programmes are being implemented throughout the country. These include mouthrinsing with sodium fluoride solutions, supervised toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste and the use of fluoride-containing varnish and fluoride tablets. Water fluoridation exists in two pilot areas and there is an intensive dental health education campaign. Indigenous health workers augment the inadequate dental manpower in attempting to attain and maintain the global indicator for oral health, which is 3 DMFT on average for age 12 years old.