Pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 599, s. 2004 declaring February every year as National Dental Health Month, the Baguio City National High School will celebrate the 20th National Dental Health Month.
Themed “Celebrating decades of healthy smiles,” the activities lined up for the celebration aim to strengthen awareness and reiterate the importance of good oral hygiene habits by reaching out to students specifically to keep their oral teeth and mouth healthy.
The annual observance is dedicated to promoting awareness about the importance of oral hygiene, encouraging preventive dental care, and fostering a culture of healthy smiles across the nation.
The National Dental Health Month has played a significant role in reducing dental caries among school children from 98 percent to 73 percent. This is due to our dedicated partners who have made it an essential tool for promoting oral health and well-being among learners.
The BCNHS would like to extend its sincerest gratitude to Philippine Dental Association-Baguio City chapter for the continuous support in the delivery of oral services among its learners.
The primary objective of this activity is to organize and conduct a comprehensive program to celebrate National Dental Health Month. This initiative aims to promote oral health awareness, provide educational resources, and encourage positive oral hygiene practices within our community.
Given the high prevalence of dental caries as a chronic disease, its consequences often lead to considerable pain and suffering. This issue is particularly pronounced in the Philippines, contributing to school absenteeism.
The integration of preventive services and programs into school curricula emerged as a strategic approach to curbing the advancement of dental caries. Through oral health promotion, students are motivated to prioritize their oral health, reducing the burden of dental issues.
The application of fluoride vanish was one of the preventive services to control the progression of dental caries. Fluoride varnish, recognized for its efficacy and safety, has demonstrated a significant impact on preventing the prevalence of dental caries, as revealed through a study conducted by this writer/researcher.
The researcher has established that the application of fluoride varnish played a crucial role in decreasing absenteeism, fostering heightened awareness of oral health among students. Notably, the alleviation of anxiety during dental procedures resulted in a voluntary seeking of dental care, effectively controlling the progression of dental caries.
Fluoride varnish, serving as a preventive dental treatment, emerges as a valuable tool in the prevention, slowing down, or halting the progression of tooth decay. The study underscores the importance of educational instructions, particularly regarding proper brushing and flossing methods, as integral components in the comprehensive strategy to prevent tooth decay.
To strengthen oral health promotion, we reached out to students through lectures, dental activities that would raise awareness about oral health, and demonstrated the proper way of toothbrushing and conducted toothbrushing drill among our learners.
Oral health is the standard of health and related tissues which enables an individual to eat, speak, and socialize without active disease, discomfort, or embarrassment and which contributes to general well-being.
Adopting the program of the Philippine Dental Association “Milyong sipilyo, angat ngiting panalo”, we aim to promote good oral health practices among students of BCNHS enrolled for the School Year 2023-2024.
For us to achieve an orally fit Pinoy, para sa healthy Pilipinas, let us keep BNCHS smiling. (Editors’ note: The writer is a dentist at BCHNS)
May 2, 2024
