Sliven, East Bulgaria, Oct 14 (BTA/GNA) – Dental caries incidence among Bulgarian children has dropped by over 40% thanks to a silanization programme launched 12 years ago, Bulgarian Dental Association (BDA) Secretary General Borislav Milanov said at the BTA press club in Sliven, Eastern Bulgaria on Friday. Dr Milanov was speaking at a seminar on popularizing the national programme for preventive treatment of oral diseases in children aged 0 to 18 years.
Over 500,000 first permanent children’s teeth have been silanized so far, he said. A screening campaign back in 2007 revealed worrying facts: over 98% of Bulgarian children had at least one caries. At present, there are negative trends too. People aged between 22 and 23 years have had an average of 2.4 of their permanent teeth extracted. Those aged between 60 and 65 have had an average of 17 tooth removals. Not more than 30% of Bulgarians know how often they need to replace their toothbrush.
The silanization rate halved due to the COVID pandemic in 2020-2021, Milanov went on to say. The effort now is to get back to the silanization rate of 2019.
A total of 17,703 teeth of 4,979 children in Sliven Region have been silanized so far under the programme, said Dr Zhivka Georgieva, the programme’s regional coordinator for Sliven. Fourteen silanization officers are working in the region this year, four of them in small settlements. Health mediators have an important role to play in this part of the country. They maintain links with the Roma neigbourhoods, organize discussions on health issues and distribute leaflets.
Silanization is a painless procedure that takes between 15 and 30 minutes, said BDA Regional College Chairman Dr Ivan Danchev. It is provided free of charge but requires informed consent from the parents.
The discussion in Sliven was the second out of 10 planned conferences in various parts of the country. The first one was held in Haskovo, Southern Bulgaria.
BTA/GNA