Dentistry in Peru

Editorial

The high prevalence of dental caries in Peru, despite the various prevention and intervention programs in oral health, does not decrease significantly, finding that 90.4% of the Peruvian population has dental caries [1]. Thus, it is worrying that the prevalence of this oral disease does not decrease, perhaps the problem being found in the poor oral hygiene habits of the population. In addition, it is also mentioned that the population with the highest prevalence of these oral diseases is children between 3 and 15 years of age.

This problem of oral health in Peru, due to the lack of oral health culture and the practice of unhealthy behaviors [2]. The lack of knowledge of the correct oral hygiene techniques could mean that it is not possible to reduce the high prevalence of oral diseases. In the same way, despite the actions of dentists in the public and private sectors, they carry out activities with different communities where they make known the correct brushing techniques, the communities do not manage to execute them properly in their daily oral hygiene.

However, in the public sector, there is a low demand for dental services that is often influenced by the fact that they only go to a dental office when they have pain and that there is a shortage of material in health centers [3]. Although many Sometimes the socioeconomic factor can also influence the low demand for dental services in Peru, this is due to the fact that some patients, having health insurance because they are in a low socioeconomic level, do not allow them to cost their dental treatments in the sector. private and in the public sector cannot be attended due to the lack of materials in the different health centers; In addition, different patients also refer to the fact that they do not go to a dental consultation in the private sector due to previous bad experiences they have had with the staff [3].

Perhaps the lack of interest in caring for their oral health could originate in people’s lack of knowledge about the systemic consequences that oral diseases can generate [4, 5]. Oral health is of great importance in their general health.

However, the Peruvian state seeks to incorporate the dentist within the educational community, forcing the existence of a dentist within each educational institution [6]. This may be a great opportunity to reduce this high prevalence of oral diseases in the Peruvian population, hoping this can work.