UI Professor Recommends 12 Strategics To Prevent Early Childhood Stories

DEPOK - Professor of Permanent Public Dental Health and Prevention, Faculty of Dental Medicine (FKG) University of Indonesia (UI) Prof. Dr. drg. Febriana Setiawati recommends 12 strategic preventing early childhood caries as an effort towards Indonesia free of caries 2030.

"Early childhood stories are one of the most common tooth and mouth diseases in early childhood, especially in developing countries," said Prof. Febriana in a statement, Tuesday.

Prof. Febriana recommended 12 ECC prevention strategies in line with WHO policies and the 2045 Golden Indonesia development direction targets.

The 12 strategies are first Promotion of healthy diets; secondly the use of fluoride; thirdly, oral health education in the community; fourthly examination and early detection of caries; fifthly Strengthening public health policies; sixthly, dental health integration with general health.

Furthermore, the seventh Improves and expands access to dental and oral health services; the eighth is Incentive Provision for Health Workers in Remote Regions; the ninth is the National Campaign on the Impact of Stories on the Future of Children.

Next to 10, Improve research and data for the development of a sustainable monitoring and evaluation system; eleventh the use of digital technology in the promotion of dental and oral health and the detection of early childhood caries; and the second eleven Sustainable Budget Allocations for the Prevention of Stories.

He emphasized that early childhood caries are not only a problem of dental and oral health but also have an impact on overall public health problems.

Early childhood stories that are not handled, can have a negative impact on physical health, the quality of life of children and parents, and become the economic burden of families and society.

He further said, early childhood caries are diseases that arise from various factors, including cariogenic microorganisms, carbohydrate exposure that can be fermented through improper feeding practices, and social variables.

For this reason, several strategic steps and effective evidence-based recommendations are needed in an effort to prevent caries for young children in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) policy.

Meanwhile, as part of the target for the 2030 Karies Free Indonesia, Prof. Febriana also calls for strengthening cross-sectoral collaboration, including health, education, and social, to create an effective and sustainable prevention program.

Stronger policy support and adequate budget allocation are needed to ensure the success of the early childhood caries prevention program throughout Indonesia. "With a shared commitment, we can create a healthier generation of Indonesian children, free from caries, and ready to welcome Indonesia Gold 2045," said Prof. Febriana.