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Friday, March 29, 2024

2 new vans help Manila kick off Oral Health Month

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Manila Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada recently led the city government in observing National Oral Health Month with the launching of two new mobile dental vans worth P6 million, and hosting an array of dental services at city hall.

Estrada led the ribbon-cutting and blessing for the two state-of-the-art vans donated to the city government by the Department of Health.

“We are thankful to DoH for these two dental vans for it will help further improve our health services to the barangays,” the mayor said.

The Manila Health Department, on Estrada’s orders, has started conducting special dental services for city hall employees such as mouth cleaning and tooth extraction, MHD chief Dr. Benjamin Yson said.

The city health officer said such dental services are available for free in the 59 health centers of Manila, including medicines such as antibiotics.

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Yson said the fully equipped mobile dental clinics would go around the city’s communities and schools to offer free dental services.

“This is the first time we have such equipment and the city government is grateful to have these mobile dental vans that can reach communities where the poor are located so that they would not spend for transportation,” Yson said, pointing out that the two dental health vans were donated to the city government through the intercession of Estrada.

“Our oral healthcare sa Manila is in a very good situation and scope. On the average, probably each health center can give dental services to about 20 patients a day, so that’s times 59 health centers,” Yson said.

MHD, he said, has 160 dentists that are assigned in 59 community health centers and in the dental clinics of 104 public elementary and high schools in Manila.

Dr. Rochelle Pambid of the DOH said the dental van donation was a show of support of the national government to the city government’s medical programs.

“We are in full support to the programs of the Manila LGU in particular to the oral health services,” Pambid said.

She noted that in the Philippines, the prevalence of tooth decay is 94.7 percent, or nine out of 10 people experience dental health problems.

National Dental Health Month is observed every February pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 559 signed in 2004 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to promote good oral health. 

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