DH’s carnival to promote oral health in celebration of 75th anniversary of founding of People’s Republic of China and National Love Teeth Day (with photos)

The Department of Health (DH) today (September 8) held the "Love Your Teeth, Check-ups Annually" Carnival to promote oral health and encourage the public to carry out annual dental check-ups.

National Love Teeth Day is held on September 20 annually. To mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China this year, the DH's Oral Health Promotion Division (OHPD) organised a carnival with the theme of "Love Your Teeth, Check-ups Annually" to promote oral and dental health. By inviting the public to participate in various interactive sessions, including stage performances, booth games, and tooth brushing demonstrations, the carnival aims to create a joyful atmosphere for the public to learn more about dental care, oral health, and the importance of prevention and yearly check-ups.

Officiating at the kick-off ceremony, the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam, said "The World Health Organization recommended preservation of natural tooth as the most important oral health indicator and that society should aim to raise the overall level of oral health by preserving teeth. Having regular dental check-ups is crucial.

"The Government's current dental care policy aims to raise public awareness of oral hygiene and health through publicity and education, and to encourage the public to develop good oral hygiene habits. Generally speaking, the need for dental treatment or surgery due to tooth decay and gum diseases can be greatly reduced if good oral hygiene habits are maintained.

"Dental diseases require 'focus on prevention, early identification, and timely intervention'. The most common dental diseases, such as tooth decay and periodontal disease, show no symptoms in the early stages. If detected early, treatment will be simpler, more effective, and relatively less costly."

The Consultant in-charge, Dental Services of the DH, Dr Kitty Hse, also emphasised that, regardless of age, good oral hygiene habits should be cultivated. Not only should annual dental check-ups be carried out, but ongoing guidance from dentists and dental professionals, as well as learning correct brushing and oral care techniques, are also necessary. The DH's School Dental Care Service has been providing annual dental check-up services to primary students for over 40 years. In the past 20 years, the dental caries rate among 12-year-old children in Hong Kong has been among the lowest globally.

The DH's School Dental Care Service (SDCS) has laid a solid foundation for the oral health of primary school students in Hong Kong. As an interface with the SDCS for primary school students, the DH will launch the Primary Dental Co-care Pilot Scheme for Adolescents (PDCC) in the first quarter of 2025. By providing partial subsidies for private dental check-ups services for adolescents aged between 13 and 17, as well as to foster the establishment of long-term partnership between adolescents and the dentists of non-governmental organisations or private sector, aims at promoting the life-long habit of regular dental check-ups for prevention of dental diseases. Under the co-payment model, eligible adolescents will receive dental check-ups services in the private healthcare sector by shouldering certain co-payment amount with government subsidies. Non-governmental organisations and private dentists can determine the co-payment fee. At present, the Government is actively taking forward the relevant preparatory work and formulating the details of the scheme, particulars of which will be announced in due course.

For more information about oral health, please visit the OHPD's Toothclub webpage (www.toothclub.gov.hk), the Facebook fan page of "æ„›ç‰™ Love Teeth HK" (www.facebook.com/LoveTeethHK/) and YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UChJUkaM37cgbNGMi23v0ivQ).