Another area of focus I have called attention to is the importance of dental and oral services in the promotive and preventive efforts, especially during this pandemicJakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin is targeting 12-year-old children in Indonesia to be caries-free by 2030 through the mentoring role of the Dental and Oral Health Committee.
"Another area of focus I have called attention to is the importance of dental and oral services in the promotive and preventive efforts, especially during this pandemic," Sadikin noted in a press statement received here, Thursday.
Sadikin highlighted the commitment of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) to improving the dental and oral health of Indonesians.
In commemoration of National Dental Health Day (HKGN), the minister advised that dental and oral services prioritize the importance of promotive and preventive efforts, especially amid the pandemic.
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Meanwhile, Director of Primary Health Services at the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Saraswati Sugiyarso, remarked that the HKGN 2021 was observed to address the low level of public awareness on the importance of maintaining dental and oral health that had also worsened in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The 2021 HKGN is a momentum to educate the public right from pediatric patients to the older adults to not delay getting dental care and undergoing examinations by using teledentistry," she emphasized.
The Health Ministry observed HKGN, which fell on September 12, 2021, by holding activities ranging from Instagram talk shows, live radio, photo and video competitions, as well as educational webinars involving the start-up social enterprise GIGI.ID that focuses on the dental and oral health of the community.
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On a separate occasion, CEO and founder of GIGI.ID, Armelia Sari Widyarman, said that her side lauded the Indonesian Ministry of Health for its trust in involving GIGI.ID in the 2021 HKGN event.
"We are ready to fully support the success of the entire series of HKGN 2021 activities," she affirmed.
"As the first Teledentristry application in Indonesia, GIGI.ID is expected to help the Indonesian Ministry of Health accelerate the availability of dental and oral health services in Indonesia through the use of technology," she remarked.
Meanwhile, Directorate of Primary Health Services of the Ministry of Health and Chair of the 2021 HKGN Committee, Indra Rachmad Dharmawan, remarked that the 10 thousand participants for the 2021 HKGN webinar comprised dentists, dental nurses, students, and the general public.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
