WHY A DENTIST VISIT IS RARE TREAT FOR ARMENIAN CHILDREN

ReutersAlert
news/fromthefield/wvmeero/dd62dd50bffd8190d441f75f 68982537.htm
Oct 27 2009

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World Vision MEERO, Dental check-ups for
some 600 children aged 14-15 in Armenia’s Stepanavan region revealed
that every child has on average five decayed teeth – due in part
to the lack of state-covered dental care and drinking water which
contains microelements that make teeth vulnerable to disease.

In Armenia dental treatment is free of charge for children aged six and
12 but parents of older children have to pay out of pocket for their
children’s teeth to be checked and treated. With high unemployment
and limited income for many households, coupled with other pressing
expenses, the cost of dental health care – especially when it is
preventative, can be out of reach.

Through the course of a month dentists from the ‘Van Med’ dental
clinic in Vanadzor City, Lori Region, visited schools to carry out
the dental checks with the support of World Vision.

‘I can’t remember myself ever visiting a dentist’, said Vahagn
Araqelyan, 14, who was diagnosed with 17 decayed teeth.

According to Garegin Kalantaryan, Deputy Director of ‘Van Med’, dental
clinics are located too far from many communities of the region and
taking their children for check-ups is just not possible for many
parents. ‘In case there are any orthodontic and gum problems, one
can receive treatment only in Vanadzor City, since there aren’t any
other specialised clinics in the region’.

During the check-ups parents are informed about the state of their
children’s teeth and gums and toothpaste and brushes are distributed
among children to encourage them to take better care of their teeth.

At the same time they are shown how to brush correctly. In addition,
training is being provided to the community medical centre dentists.

Lilit Kharatyan, the dentist carrying out the dental checks, said
the most common problems among the children are caries; a disease
resulting in tooth decay and eventual loss, and hypoplasia or the
underdevelopment of the teeth. ‘It’s very important that children
know how to take care of their teeth. This will help prevent many
dental diseases’, she explained.

Varsenik Baghdasaryan, 14, who has four decayed teeth, said she
has learnt many new things about dental care and how it can affect
the whole body. ‘I’ve found out that dental diseases also generate
disorders in the digestive tract. That’s why it’s important to
regularly visit a dentist’, she said.

Those children diagnosed with any dental diseases will have the
opportunity to receive dental treatment at the same clinic at reduced
and more affordable prices.

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and
not of Reuters. ]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress