Japan Press Weekly

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2017 February 22 - 28 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

45% of schools in Osaka: family financial difficulties result in dental health problems among students

The Osaka Dental Practitioners’ Association on February 23 at a news conference released a survey result that shows that students from financially struggling families are more likely to have problems of tooth decay and other oral health problems.

The organization in 2016 conducted a survey of all 1,754 elementary, junior high, and senior high schools in Osaka regarding students’ oral health. In the survey, 45.5% of respondent schools said that among students, some have difficulty with chewing due to poor oral care, including untreated tooth cavities.

Looking at the family backgrounds of such students, 45.7% live in a single-parent family and 42.6% come from financially struggling families. In the comments section of the survey, comments that parents of low-income households are too busy to consider their children’s oral health as they are working at least two jobs, and that single-parent families’ financial conditions affect every area of students’ lives were common.

At the news conference, a vice director of the association pointed to the need to introduce measures like a free-dental treatment program for children to ease parents’ financial burdens associated with dental care.

Past related article:
> Gov’t should play role in eliminating child poverty [April 10, 2016]