PETALING JAYA: A visit to the dentist certainly ranks very high on the “dreaded list” and Malaysians can vouch for that.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2019), involving 17,000 people, showed that only 25% visited the dentist over the last 12 months.
The elderly were the least likely category to seek oral healthcare, with data from the Institute of Health System Research revealing that only 6.2% of those aged 75 and above sat on the dental chair over the past year.
Those aged between 10 and 14 years had the highest prevalence of visiting the dentist, at 69.8%.
A significant revelation is that half the Malaysian population last visited the dentist more than two years ago, with 15% never having done so in their lifetime.
Sabah has the highest prevalence of those who never sought dental care at 26.4%, with Penang being the lowest at 8%.
Putrajaya has the best record of dental visits, with 50.2%, and Pahang ranking the lowest at 16.3%.
The survey also found that 10% of Malaysians reportedly practised self-medication for their oral health problems in the two weeks prior to the survey.
The data for the survey was collected from July to September 2019.
Assoc Prof Dr Firdaus Hariri of Universiti Malaya’s dentistry faculty said although more dental services were being offered in the country, many Malaysians still did not regularly seek oral healthcare check-ups and treatment.
“Even though there has been a consistent trend on the increasing number of dentists and dental practices in Malaysia as well as improved annual dentist-to-population ratios, there are still Malaysians who do not practise regular visits,” he said.
He said the fear of pain was among a variety of reasons preventing Malaysians from seeking oral healthcare.
“Some patients had bad experiences and fear pain, leading to avoidance and delay in getting treatment,” he added.
Dr Firdaus said such patients should inform their dentists of their concerns.
“There are many ways to help patients overcome their fear.
“The dentist can create friendly clinical surroundings or arrange dental treatment at low-stress appointment times.
“Dentists may also recommend ‘laughing gas’ or nitrous oxide which can help calm a patient,” he said.
He said other factors could be the cost of treatment, lack of access to treatment or lack of awareness.
“It is undeniable that certain dental treatments can be costly.
Because of this, dental disease prevention and early treatment is a better practice.
“Access to dental services is also a challenge, mainly in rural areas with geographical factors contributing to the difficulty in the continuous access for general and dental healthcare,” he added.
Dr Firdaus said the lack of awareness about oral health was a matter of concern.
“Oral health is part of general health. Everything that goes into our body starts from our mouth,” he added.
He said visits to the dentist should be made once or twice a year, for a person to be well informed of his or her oral health status and to prevent progression of dental disease.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS 2019), involving 17,000 people, showed that only 25% visited the dentist over the last 12 months.
The elderly were the least likely category to seek oral healthcare, with data from the Institute of Health System Research revealing that only 6.2% of those aged 75 and above sat on the dental chair over the past year.
Those aged between 10 and 14 years had the highest prevalence of visiting the dentist, at 69.8%.
A significant revelation is that half the Malaysian population last visited the dentist more than two years ago, with 15% never having done so in their lifetime.
Sabah has the highest prevalence of those who never sought dental care at 26.4%, with Penang being the lowest at 8%.
Putrajaya has the best record of dental visits, with 50.2%, and Pahang ranking the lowest at 16.3%.
The survey also found that 10% of Malaysians reportedly practised self-medication for their oral health problems in the two weeks prior to the survey.
The data for the survey was collected from July to September 2019.
Assoc Prof Dr Firdaus Hariri of Universiti Malaya’s dentistry faculty said although more dental services were being offered in the country, many Malaysians still did not regularly seek oral healthcare check-ups and treatment.
“Even though there has been a consistent trend on the increasing number of dentists and dental practices in Malaysia as well as improved annual dentist-to-population ratios, there are still Malaysians who do not practise regular visits,” he said.
He said the fear of pain was among a variety of reasons preventing Malaysians from seeking oral healthcare.
“Some patients had bad experiences and fear pain, leading to avoidance and delay in getting treatment,” he added.
Dr Firdaus said such patients should inform their dentists of their concerns.
“There are many ways to help patients overcome their fear.
“The dentist can create friendly clinical surroundings or arrange dental treatment at low-stress appointment times.
“Dentists may also recommend ‘laughing gas’ or nitrous oxide which can help calm a patient,” he said.
He said other factors could be the cost of treatment, lack of access to treatment or lack of awareness.
“It is undeniable that certain dental treatments can be costly.
Because of this, dental disease prevention and early treatment is a better practice.
“Access to dental services is also a challenge, mainly in rural areas with geographical factors contributing to the difficulty in the continuous access for general and dental healthcare,” he added.
Dr Firdaus said the lack of awareness about oral health was a matter of concern.
“Oral health is part of general health. Everything that goes into our body starts from our mouth,” he added.
He said visits to the dentist should be made once or twice a year, for a person to be well informed of his or her oral health status and to prevent progression of dental disease.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access
Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Unlimited access with perks.
