75% of Malaysian pre-school children have carries. The Ministry of Health (MOH) National Oral Health Survey 2005 revealed that among 5-year olds, caries prevalence was 76.2 per cent with a mean decayed, missing and filled teeth score of 5.6. IMU lecturer Dr Megan Chong Hueh Zan attributed this to poor parental knowledge about oral health. Early Childhood Caries (ECC) affects the quality of life of families and the affected children and may affect nutritional status. Therefore, maintenance of good dietary practices, good oral hygiene control as well as the use of fluoridated toothpaste are essential. Read more about this at Carbohydrates and Dental Carries (The Health, November 2018).
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