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DENTALTRIBUNE The World’s Dental Newspaper · Asia Pacific Edition Published in Hong Kong www.dental-tribune.asia Vol. 14, No. 9 THE FLOSSING DEBATE A review of recent reporting on the topic and reactions by the dental community around the globe. MANAGER VERSUS CLINICIAN Practitioners’ expectations of the kind of manager they want for their practice vary considerably in terms of experience and skills. PERI-IMPLANTITISTREATMENT Why the diode laser is a good adjunct for improving the clinical results observed with conven- tional methods. ” Page 6 ” Page 8 ” Page 18 Children’s oral health remains of concern By DTI HONG KONG: Over the past 50 years, dental public health measures and policies have been implemented by the government in Hong Kong to help improve the oral health of the population and children in particular. A historical analysis has now shown that these efforts have led to a general im- provement in the oral health of schoolchildren. However, dental disease is still prevalent among children, especially preschoolers, in the country. In order to provide a historical and epidemiological overview of the oral health of Hong Kong chil- dren, dental researchers at the University of Hong Kong reviewed all available oral health epidemi- ological data and information from published literature before 2014 through electronic database searches, supplemented with in- formation obtained from gov- ernment-archived oral health re- ports. In 1961, water fluoridation was implemented in Hong Kong and remarkably reduced the preva- lence of dental caries. The re- searchers found that caries experi- ence and severity among school- children and adolescents de- creased significantly, from more than 90 per cent in the 1960s to approximately 50 per cent in the 1980s and 1990s and to less than 25 per cent currently. However, in the past two decades, no substan- tial changes in the caries status among preschool children have been observed. The caries incidence in preschool children remains similar, with a reported prevalence of 35 to 51 per cent, they stated. In 1979, the School Dental Care Service was introduced to provide prevention and dental treatment and oral health education to primary schoolchildren in Hong Kong. The programme contributed to raising awareness of oral health among schoolchildren and over- coming many social barriers to dental care access. Education changed children’s lifestyles and improved their self-care practices and use of fluoride oral health care products, which have become in- creasingly available in the country. Despite these favourable re- sults, the dental caries experience has remained unchanged for pre- school children, the researchers highlighted. This might mainly be due to the fact that preschool chil- dren in Hong Kong are not rou- tinely eligible for the school-based dental care programme. Moreover, the researchers ob- served that the overall periodon- tal health of Hong Kong children remains unsatisfactory, although there is evidence of improvement. In addition, a decrease in the prev- alence and severity of enamel de- fects among Hong Kong children was observed, but there has re- cently been a slight increase. The researchers concluded that new policies have to be drafted on dental care protocols to ensure ev- idence-based standards of care and to promote regular access to dental care and preventative services, es- pecially to improve the oral health of preschool children in HK. The review article, titled “Oral health of Hong Kong children: A historical and epidemiological perspective”, was published in the August issue of the Hong Kong Medical Journal. www.ivoclarvivadent.com Ivoclar Vivadent AG Bendererstr. 2 | FL-9494 Schaan | Liechtenstein | Tel.: +423 / 235 35 35 | Fax: +423 / 235 33 60 Healthy teeth produce a radiant smile. We strive to achieve this goal on a daily basis. It inspires us to search for innovative, economic and esthetic solutions for direct filling procedures and the fabrication of indirect, fixed or removable restorations, so that you have quality products at your disposal to help people regain a beautiful smile. Distinguished by innovation IV_Image_Anz_102x128_Layout 1 01.12.11 17:10 Seite 1 AD (866) 999-2635 AD ©leungchopan/Shutterstock.com © Alliance/Shutterstock.com © George Rudy/Shutterstock.com Bendererstr. 2 | FL-9494 Schaan | Liechtenstein | Tel.: +423 / 2353535 | Fax: +423 / 2353360 IV_Image_Anz_102x128_Layout 101.12.1117:10 Seite 1