[File Photo]

High intake of sugar along with tobacco and alcohol use, and poor hygiene is being attributed as the primary drivers of oral diseases.

Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s Senior Dental Officer, Dr. John Susau made the comments this morning while speaking at the World Oral Health Day workshop.

Susau says there is a need for a change in lifestyle behavior to combat the country’s prevalent oral health issues.

“More people need to value their mouths and start taking good care of them; unfortunately, many do not. This is evident in the rising number of people with oral diseases.”

[World Oral Health Day workshop]

Data from the Fiji National Oral Health Survey carried out in 2004, which revealed that over half of the population suffered from untreated dental caries, with 14.6% experiencing four or more decayed permanent teeth.

Dr. Susau says the last survey was conducted in 2011, and the Health Ministry is still working on publishing the findings.

[Colonial War Memorial Hospital’s Senior Dental Officer, Dr. John Susau]