Dr Chu (right) with Wong at an exhibition booth. On the left is Dr Chia.

SIBU: A total of 570,659 people, or 23 per cent of the state’s population, visited government dental facilities in the state last year.

In addition, Minister of Local Government and Community Development Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh said, 89 per cent or 70,019 children from 2,493 kindergartens received oral healthcare in 2014.

For primary school children, he said 96 per cent or 240,549 pupils from 1,244 primary schools in the state received oral healthcare under the Incremental School Dental Programme.

“Secondary schools were also covered, and 43 per cent of students in 107 schools received care last year.

“All these will contribute to a healthy nation and a healthy state because the improved oral health of the population will lead to better quality of life for everybody, and it will help us in our quest towards achieving developed nation status,” he said at the ‘3rd Sibu Oral Health Awareness Campaign’ held at Sing Kwong Mall in Salim Road here yesterday.

Malaysian Dental Association Eastern Zone (MDAEZ) and Sibu Divisional Dental Office organised the campaign themed ‘Come as a guest, return with best health’.

The objective of the campaign was to promote the benefits of having a healthy mouth and to create greater awareness about the importance of oral health.

On service delivery, Wong said there were 30 government dental clinics in the state.

For rural folk, he said they were covered by the government’s outreach programmes and mobile dental squads.
“In addition, there are 129 dental clinics in schools.

“In Sibu, we have achieved 100 per cent coverage of primary schools with incremental dental care.”

On a similar matter, he said he was pleased that the Bau Dental Clinic, which was approved under the 10th Malaysia Plan, had been operating since last February.

He said the single-storey clinic, manned by four dental officers, was serving more than 54,000 people in Bau district.

“Another upcoming new dental clinic is in Sibu Jaya. It is currently under construction and is expected to be completed next year. This dental clinic, to be equipped with five dental chairs, is expected to cater to the needs of the growing population in Sibu Jaya in particular and Sibu in general.”

Present at the function were Sarawak Health Department deputy director (Oral Health) Dr Chia Jit Chie, MDAEZ chairman Dr Abdul Rashid Hassan, organising chairman Dr James Chu Kok Weng and Sibu Divisional Dental Officer Dr Mohammad Gurmeet.