Protecting Children Oral Health in Vietnam

Save the Children in collaboration with the Department of Education of Hai Phong northern city organized a communications event to celebrate the World Oral Health Day on March 20.

Save the Children’s program “Improving School Health and Nutrition including Oral Health in Vietnam,” supported by Wrigley Company Foundation, has been implemented in 60 schools in the three cities of Hanoi, Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh. The program runs from 2011 to 2016.

The program aims to raising education quality through improving students’ health and their awareness and skills in health care. Around 50,000 children aged 3 to 14, their parents and 600 local teachers benefit from the program. Through the program, parents get involved in building a healthy habit in oral care and nutrition for their children.

Save the Children has been piloting a school-based fluoride rinse program at these schools. These programs are fairly common in other countries; however, they are not yet practiced in Vietnam. The program provides students with regular fluoride rinses to help strengthen children’s teeth.

The program also encourages children to bring toothbrushes from home and provide them with cups and toothpaste to be used at school, so that they can brush their teeth after their school-based lunch.

Oral health is a challenging issue in Vietnam. Around 85 percent of Vietnamese children aged six to eight experience tooth decay and most of them do not have proper treatment, according to the Vietnamese Ministry of Health. This has been posing considerable challenges to children and the community’s oral health care.

Join us to see a few images from the event: