Summary
- Overall, Canadians have very good levels of oral health.
- Roughly 85.7% of Canadians visit a dentist within two years.
- More Canadians are consulting doctors than ever before; the percentage of Canadians who consult dentists has increased from 49.5% to 74.5% in the last 40 years.
- Despite many positive indicators, it is estimated that 4.15 million working days for adults are lost annually due to dental visits or dental sick days.
- Canadians from lower-income families face two times more challenges in oral care compared to higher-income families.
- The challenge for most countries is to provide oral health treatment to low-income families.
National Oral Health Month is a good occasion to get back to the basics of oral health, i.e., regular brushing, flossing, and a visit to the dentist.
Good oral health means that a person has healthy gums, teeth, face muscles, and throat and that there are no diseases related to these organs, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This blog analyses where Canada stands in oral healthcare and how prevalent oral diseases are in the world.
Why is National Oral Health Month Significant?
The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) gives immense importance to National Oral Health Month. The aim is to reinforce the importance of regular visits to dentists and maintaining proper dental hygiene. This year, the Canadian Dental Association (CDA) has urged Canadians to follow these 5 steps to better oral healthcare:
1) Consult your dentist regularly.
2) Prefer to buy only those oral health products that have the CDA Seal.
3) Avoid ‘do it yourself’ or DIY dental tricks, as they can cause serious health concerns.
4) Don’t forget that your overall health is dependent on oral health.
5) Remember that your oral health team needs your active role to provide you better services.
National Oral Health Month is a crucial time to highlight the importance of oral health and how much it is linked with our overall health. Oral healthcare experts believe preventive oral healthcare is critical. Small oral hygiene practices like brushing twice a day and regular flossing can save you from various problems.
One of the biggest advantages of visiting dentists regularly is that they can detect potential problems and guide you accordingly. This way you can not only save time and energy but also a lot of money.
Why Do Canadians Have One of the Best Accesses to Oral Healthcare in the World?
Canada ranks among the top countries whose citizens have very good access to oral healthcare professionals, according to the Canadian Dental Association (CDA).
Canada ranks among the top where citizens have excellent oral health indicators such as decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT), gum diseases, and other such problems. Canada is among the top five countries whose citizens are regular visitors of dental clinics.
France tops with 74.9%, the Czech Republic 71%, the UK 68.8%, and Slovakia 68.8%, and then comes Canada with 64.6%. The government of Canada has recently made new efforts to provide dental services to more Canadians through the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP), especially those who can not afford expensive treatments.
Visiting a dentist is expensive all over the world. This is why global data shows that lower-income families find it much more difficult to access oral healthcare regardless of which country they live in. All over the world, higher-income families are more likely to visit a dentist if they face any issues.
Availability of dentists is also not an issue for Canadians. Perhaps this is why the waiting time to see an oral health practitioner or receive treatment in Canada is also among the shortest in the world.
How Big is the Oral Diseases Problem Globally?
Oral health diseases are estimated to affect about half of the global population, or 3.5 billion people, with 75% of them living in low- and middle-income countries. Instead of any betterment, the problems of oral health diseases are increasing, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
The challenge for most countries is to provide oral health treatment to low-income families. Studies show high-income families have higher access to dental care all over the world.
Experts say oral diseases increase the risk of many other diseases, such as stroke, respiratory problems, diabetes, etc. Globally, direct treatment costs and productivity losses of oral diseases cost an estimated $710 billion per year.
The high cost to visit a dentist and other related problems have also given rise to various problems. In developing countries, low-income people get treatment from quacks and often end up contracting chronic diseases because of unhygienic procedures.
Whereas, in developed countries, many people rely on ‘do-it-yourself’ or DIY Dentistry and thus cause more trouble for themselves in the long run. This means people themselves do cavity filling, self-whitening, dental braces, and even tooth extraction without taking any help from dentists.
Conclusion
Observing National Oral Health Month annually is necessary for a number of reasons. It promotes awareness and highlights the importance of oral healthcare in everyday life.
Canada as a country has achieved so many successes by providing affordable dental healthcare to its citizens. However, there is so much for improvement.
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Edison College offers a Chairside Dental Assistant Diploma program that prepares its graduates to excel in the oral healthcare industry. This chairside dental assistant program will provide you all the necessary skills you need to grow in the industry.
You can contact us if you need more information.
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