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Investigation reveals that nearly 50% of grassroots elders need to endure toothache

2021-08-01T09:31:57.906Z


The government began to implement dental care for school children as early as the 1990s, but dental care services for the elderly have lasted for ten years. There is still no regular check-up. Many grassroots elders are suffering from dental problems but cannot afford treatment.


The government began to implement dental care for school children as early as the 1990s, but dental care services for the elderly have lasted for ten years. There is still no regular check-up. Many grassroots elders are suffering from dental problems but cannot afford treatment.

A survey found that 95% of the grassroots elders interviewed do not have the habit of regular dental check-ups, and that nearly five elders need to cope with toothaches.

The Department of Health has promised to conduct an oral health survey this year and reset the target. Concerned groups hope that the authorities can take the needs of the elderly into it, add dental health vouchers, and start to improve the dental health of the elderly in the current government, as well as formulate Elderly dental policy.


A survey found that 95% of the grassroots elders interviewed do not have the habit of regular dental check-ups, and that nearly five elders need to cope with toothaches.

(Photo by Zeng Fengting)

The Hong Kong Association of Community Organizations and the Hong Kong Alliance for the Rights of the Elderly conducted interviews, telephone interviews and questionnaire surveys on the oral health status and habits of 230 elderly people under the poverty line and over 60 years old from May to July.

Among them, it was found that 95% of the elderly did not have the habit of checking their teeth regularly, and only 45% of the respondents had 20 real teeth (according to the standard oral health goal set by the WHO for the elderly to have 20 real teeth), 42% of the respondents There are less than 19 teeth left, and 10% of the interviewees have lost all their teeth. The situation is very serious.

In terms of dental problems, 46% of the elderly interviewed said that they often or occasionally affected their sleep due to toothache in the past year. Among them, 38% said they would endure or fail to deal with them, and 34% would choose to deal with them on their own, including using home remedies. Or put painkillers into the toothache, etc.

Among the respondents who encountered dental problems, 51% did not seek medical treatment because they could not afford the cost, 35% of the respondents consciously did not need to ask for a doctor, and 28% said they had no way to find a trusted dentist.

The proportion of losing all teeth is twice as high as ten years ago

In terms of oral health, 72% of the elders surveyed said they would brush their teeth twice or more a day, but 83% of them never used dental floss or interdental brushes.

This survey was also compared with the oral health survey conducted by the Department of Health 10 years ago for non-institutional elders aged 65 to 74. It was found that the condition of the elderly at the grassroots level was worse than that of the overall elders ten years ago. It is twice as high and the situation is not ideal.

In addition, 75 interviewees in the survey are recipients of ordinary or high elderly living allowance and are eligible to use the dental services of the Community Care Fund. Only 76% of the eligible interviewees did not use the relevant subsidy, the reasons include not having dental Need (41%); 24% said they have dental needs but do not understand the application; 20% said they need it but because the care fund can only apply for one service, they are worried that they will not be able to apply again after use, so they have not applied, and the rest have application services; Nearly 70% of the interviewees said that they have not used the dentures they are equipped with frequently, and more than half of the interviewees pointed out that they have never been suitable for them.

Mr. Lu, 62, works as a casual worker in the catering industry, with an average monthly income of only 8,000 yuan. After deducting daily expenses, he has no extra money to go to the dentist.

He suffered from nasopharyngeal cancer 18 years ago. At that time, he needed electrotherapy to treat the saliva secretion that affected his oral cavity. He lost the protection of his teeth. Mr. Lu always wanted to go to the dentist to take care of his teeth.

At present, Mr. Lu has only 9 complete teeth. He described the elderly as an abandoned group in dental treatment.

(Photo by Zeng Fengting)

The elderly sighed, "I don't even have the right to eat food"

At present, Mr. Lu has only 9 complete teeth. He described the elderly as a group of abandoned people in dental treatment. If you eat, it will flow out between your teeth."

Mr. Lu once inquired about the charges of dental implants in the dentist's clinics, but the amount was as high as 40,000 to 50,000, which could not be afforded at all. Therefore, he hoped that the government would provide assistance so that the elderly could solve their basic feeding problems.

Granny Liang and Granny Qiong had used dental services under the Care Fund, but they were both dissatisfied with the services.

The 68-year-old mother-in-law Liang used the service to insert a denture in April this year. After half a month of wearing it, she felt very uncomfortable, but she had no way of knowing who should be called to solve the problem. She said she had tried I have asked for help from the relevant departments, but have not been properly dealt with.

The 72-year-old mother-in-law Qiong used the service a few years ago to create a set of dentures for her lower teeth. However, under examination by the dentist, she was informed that her oral conditions were not suitable, so she was not arranged for dentures.

Mother-in-law Qiong's care fund dental service is also full, and she can no longer request the fund to go to the dentist.

Mother-in-law Qiong went to the clinic to check afterwards, but the clinic doctor pointed out that her oral condition was suitable for dentures. In the end, she needed to complete the treatment at her own expense.

She believes that it is too strict to be able to change a dentist to make a diagnosis under the Community Care Fund, which makes it easy for the elderly to lose treatment opportunities.

Lian Weiqiao, director of the Social Association's community organization, said that the survey showed that the oral health of the elderly in Hong Kong did not meet the WHO standards.

Due to financial considerations and insufficient dental knowledge, most grassroots elders choose not to seek medical treatment. Dental health and the quality of life of the elderly are of a certain importance. He suggested that the government should add dental health vouchers so that the elderly can carry out regular medical treatment with subsidies. Checking, cleaning, filling and simple treatment to prevent dental problems in the elderly.

Suggest community health centers to join dental care for the elderly

In addition, Lian Weiqiao believes that the government should make good use of resources to include oral examinations and dental care for the elderly in community health centers to enhance the elderly's awareness of tooth protection.

At the same time, he suggested that the government relax the dental restrictions of the Community Care Fund. In the past, after 65-year-olds used the services, they had to wait 10 years, that is, they would be 75 years old, and 5 years after the first treatment before they could use the second service. It can be applied once every 3 years to extend the maintenance period of dentures for the elderly.

He believes that it is also necessary to allow the elderly who are not suitable for dentures to be able to seek help from another doctor, hoping to better meet the needs of the elderly.

The government spent 170 million to build the Wan Chai Health and Wellness Center for private groups to promote the establishment of Chinese medicine and dental services. The Jockey Club Tooth for Children Program promotes free dental check-ups to 180,000 kindergarten preschool children. [Budget] Groups promote the expansion of school dental care facilities by 2,000 Yuan Child Health Voucher

01Community

Source: hk1

All news articles on 2021-08-01

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