A dentist at the Sunyani Regional Hospital has advised the general public to desist from opening bottle lids with their teeth to avoid getting fractures and other unpleasant dental conditions in their teeth.

According to Dr Nana Yaa Dampare, the World Health Organization’s statistics indicate that oral cavities were very common among all manner of people, saying between 60 to 90 per cent of school children and nearly 100 per cent of adults have at least one dental caries (tooth decay) while between 15 to 25 per cent of adults aged 35 to 44 have severe gum diseases.

Dr Dampare gave the advice when she was speaking on the topic “Dental Hygiene” at the Ladies Department meeting of the Living Grace Ministries International at Berlin-Top, a suburb at Fiapre in the Sunyani West Municipality of the Bono Region.

She observed that the process could cause both seen and unseen cracks on the teeth which could lead to long-term dental and oral health challenges.

Dr Dampare stressed that everybody including children needed to visit the dental clinic twice a year to see a professional dentist for examination, and if possible do some cleaning, so that any problem found could be rectified on time to secure the teeth and maintain a quality state of oral health.

She said children before reaching age one should be introduced to a Dentist to check how their teeth are erupting to ensure any problem could be addressed at the early stage.

The teeth if treated and very well-maintained could stay in the mouth intact for more than 100 years without any problem, Dr Dampare said, adding that “at best the teeth need to be cleaned by a professional dentist in every six months to clear all hidden dirt and bacterial that could not be removed by a toothbrush”.

She advised the public to avoid using pieces of sticks to removing unwanted materials from the teeth because that could cause sores and introduced bacteria to the gum.

Dr Dampare urged persons who experience symptoms of pain because of either chewing, biting, or sudden sensitivity to hot or cold beverages, fractured teeth, and frequent dry mouth to quickly see a dentist for attention but not to apply any herbal medication and any type of drug not prescribed by a professional Dentist.

She stated there were several quark doctors in the system who might try to help but would end up worsening one's oral ill-health.

Dr Dampare said the oral disease could be greatly reduced if one “seeks professional dental care, rinses the mouth immediately after eating, reduce intake of sugar, avoids tobacco products, brush with fluoridated toothpaste, eats a diet high in fruits and vegetables”.