Oral Care Project Launched in a Country Where 99%* of Children's Dental Caries Go Untreated

Specified Non-profit Organization Japan Heart, an international medical NGO originating in Japan (Taito-ku, Tokyo; Chairperson: Haruna Yoshioka), has launched an oral care project in Cambodia. The organization is now fully commencing activities aimed at improving the quality of life (QOL) through oral care and reducing treatment side effects for long-term hospitalized patients.

The background to this new initiative includes the lack of widespread toothbrushing habits locally, a severe shortage of dentists, and a culture where oral diseases are relatively neglected, often leading to the attitude of "if it hurts, go to the dentist and just pull the tooth." In fact, data for 6-year-olds in Cambodia shows a dental caries prevalence of 97%, yet 99%* of these cases remain untreated, a significant disparity compared to Japan.
*Source: Cambodian National Oral Health Survey 2011 (cited from a 2019 paper)

Amidst this situation, Japan Heart's pediatric hub hospital faced challenges where long-term hospitalization, treatment, and surgery often led to deterioration of oral conditions and increased infection risk.
To address this, Japan Heart will strengthen pre- and post-operative oral management, enhance oral care during treatment for patients at high risk of treatment-related side effects, and utilize the hospitalization period to support the establishment of toothbrushing habits, fostering children's ability to protect their own health.

Furthermore, the project plans to expand awareness campaigns for oral care and promote toothbrushing habits to improve overall national awareness. Moving forward, by engaging both medical facilities and local communities, the project aims to establish sustainable oral care practices.

This project is spearheaded by oral surgeon Naoko Kishi, who was central to the "Cleft Lip and Palate Comprehensive Treatment Project" in Japan Heart's Myanmar operations. The project is being implemented with the support of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.