52.8% of Chileans have not consulted the dentist for more than a year and 62% of children have cavities | National

Although oral health is one of the main concerns of the public health program, it has not been reflected in the figures of the Ministry of Health. According to the national survey conducted by this portfolio, more than half of the population claimed to have regular, bad or very bad dental health .

Similarly, 52.8% of the population confirmed that they did not visit the dentist in more than one year, while [2,9%] confessed they had never been to

Among the chronic diseases that affect our country the most are oral pathologies, being the most disturbing caries. That's what Rodrigo Cabello, a master's degree in dental sciences and an academic from the University of Chile, who claimed – by statement – that 62% of the children over 12-year-olds have caries a figure that increases in 99% of adults over 65 years of age.

On a national average, at two years old, 2 out of 10 children already have a decay . At age four, when the diet is diverse, half of the children have cavities. And at six, the figure increases to 70%. The dentist has indicated that, like an adult, this disease (next to the periodontium) is the leading cause of tooth loss.

The socio-economic factor

Cabello also pointed out that the socio-economic factor affects access to health, make a big difference. In the metropolitan area, at age 2, 7 out of 10 low-income children have cavities ; while the figure is the opposite in high income families: 7 out of 10 children are free of this dental disease.

This factor leads to education, habits, diet and lifestyle in general, as well as to access to health, according to Iván Urzúa, master of dental sciences and university at the Universidad del Desarrollo

. 19659006] In addition to the monetary investment involved in oral health, there are also "psychological barriers" that prevent rapid treatment. This was pointed out by Betania Cohen, a specialist in mental health.

The psychologist added that a large part of the population was suffering from "dental anxiety", a concept that harbored fear of anesthesia, pain, contracting an infection or even noise caused by electrical instruments. This leads the patient, regardless of their financial situation, to postpone dental examinations and treatments.

Urzúa revealed that there is currently an innovative and less invasive treatment to treat people who suffer from these fears. This is the technique of removing atraumatic caries with the aid of a papain-based gel (papaya and pineapple enzymes), called Brix 3000, which acts on infected dentin without affecting healthy tissue. This technique makes the process more efficient and durable because it avoids or delays the treatment of the (or endodontic) channels.

To avoid the onset of oral diseases, academics recommend brushing teeth twice a day, for 2 minutes and using toothpaste with fluoride, in addition to examinations periodicals with professionals from the region.