 |
Solid early dental care turns bad quickly in Finland.
In the Helsinki region of Finland, about 40 percent of people ages 18 to 29 have not seen a dentist in the last five years. Low-income people and those with a poor education are least likely to see the dentist.
This is a stark contrast to the way children are brought up in Finland. School-age children generally have excellent dental care because of programs organized by the public school system to provide dental treatment to children. The children receive various aspects of dental treatment early on, including fluoride varnishes.
But the tooth decay comes quickly once the children are no longer in school.
One of the major problems is the accessibility to dental care. There are stretches in which it could take about two years to see a dentist. According to some studies, there are currently about 14,000 people waiting to see the dentist in the Helsinki region alone.
An influx of dentists is probably the only way for Finnish people to receive solid dental care after turning 18.
|
