North District residents receive oral health tips through CADENZA 18-District Programme

16 May 2009

Apart from brushing your teeth at least twice a day, what other oral health steps do you take? Do you know how to protect your teeth from falling off as you grow older? Carrying the theme of "Oral Health", the fifth stop of CADENZA 18-District Programme was made at Cheung Wah Estate Central Sports Ground in Fanling today (16 May). An oral care display was also held next door in Cheung Wah Community Hall.

With support from the North District Council, experts Dr Candy Cheung, Dental Officer at the Department of Health and Professor Timothy Kwok, Professor in Medicine & Therapeutics at The Chinese University of Hong Kong shared oral health information and encouraged the public to pay more attention to oral care.

Professor Kwok explained to the audience that dental plaque (bacteria) accumulation, smoking and stress can cause periodontal disease. People who wore dentures without keeping them thoroughly cleaned, let tartar accumulate or had irregular teeth that allowed dental plaque (bacteria) to build up increased their chances of suffering periodontal disease. Moreover, smokers had a five times greater chance of suffering periodontal disease than non-smokers. In turn, serious periodontal infections heightened the risks of cardiovascular disease, heart valve disease, stroke and diabetes. Professor Kwok also noted that frail elderly people could easily contract lung infections if their oral conditions were poor, while those taking osteoporosis medicine could suffer deterioration of the jawbone. The elderly, he said, should pay special attention to their dentures. He recommended that dentures be cleaned thoroughly and checked by a dentist on a regular basis, especially after prolonged use. 

Dr Cheung, another speaker, corrected some oral health misconceptions, pointing out that brushing the teeth should be avoided within half an hour of eating an orange, as the acidic juice in the fruit will cause mineral loss on tooth surface. She also noted that besides poor oral hygiene, eating strong flavoured food and periodontal disease could cause bad breath, and that antiseptic mouth rinses can be used as auxiliary measure for maintaining oral health and eliminating dental plague (bacteria). Dr Cheung said the elderly ran a higher risk of tooth decay due to the degeneration of their salivary glands. The amount of saliva produced would be especially affected by preference for salty food. Good dietary habits were therefore very important to the elderly, who should avoid sugary or acidic foods, as well as those that needed hard chewing.

Artistes Bonnie Wong, Stephanie Cheng, Pakho Chau and MR. used interactive games to demonstrate the best tooth brushing methods to the audience and introduce some useful oral care products.

Highlights of the programme will be broadcast on RTHK Radio 5's "Brilliant Life" at 4:00 pm on Thursday 28 May.

The CADENZA 18-District Programme is a citywide public education initiative jointly organised by CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors and RTHK Radio 5. It aims to promote positive ageing and equip the soon-to-be-old with knowledge that can help them continue to live an active and positive life. A monthly programme of public interactive events and activities is being organised in each of Hong Kong's 18 districts in turn, from January 2009 to June 2010. Details of the programme are available at: www.rthk.org.hk/special/cadenza.

CADENZA: A Jockey Club Initiative for Seniors is a five-year project launched by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust with a donation of HK$380 million in 2006. The project aims at nurturing academic leadership in social gerontology and changing the mindset and attitude of the general public through a range of training and public education programmes. Cross-sectional collaboration between organisations and the implementation of innovative elderly services and programmes are also encouraged in order to bring about a new mode of elderly care services to prepare for a rapidly ageing society. Details of CADENZA are available at www.cadenza.hk.