The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic specifically poses a challenge to the health system and health professionals worldwide.

Should anyone fall sick, there is no way to go to a health service provider for a regular checkup or medicine.

Oral health is a part of the health system, but people are not aware about oral hygiene or a healthy diet that could protect dental problems. Many people are unable to go to a dental clinic for treatment unless it is of a critical nature.

Nepal is said to be facing an oral healthcare crisis with 58 per cent of children and 69 per cent of adults in the country suffering from bacterial tooth decay. This can lead to infections, gum disease and chronic pain as well as heart disease and diabetes. The main factors contributing to oral disease are an unhealthy diet rich in high sugar, tobacco and harmful use of alcohol.

Dental surgeons say carelessness in maintaining proper oral health hygiene could lead to loss of dentition. Loss of dentition leads to difficulty in speech, swallowing and chewing besides damaging the beauty of the face.

Simply put, your mouth is the face that you carry everywhere.

Your ability to smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with comfort makes you feel good.

That’s also good oral health, so necessary for maintaining your personality.

But due to the pandemic, treatment for dental patients has stopped as oral health is not counted as a critical issue. Such a situation leads to a worsening of dental problems and could even cause oral cancer, which is one of the three most common cancers in Asia.

I have seen people using nicotine powder or painkillers to treat dental caries, which heavily affects one’s health. Maintaining proper oral hygiene is not only good for the face, but is also important for one’s overall well-being.

In Nepal, untreated dental caries in young children is more prevalent than malnutrition and Vitamin A deficiency. There is also an increased risk of developing life-threatening sequels to dental infections due to poor nutrition, chronic disease and lack of availability of oral health care.

We oral health workers are at high risk due to COVID-19, and people suffering from oral health problems refuse to go to hospital, thinking it is a hotspot for the transmission of the coronavirus.

This could worsen their oral health problems.

The government should, thus, have a strategy to address oral health issues. Oral health patients should be allowed to regularly visit health care institutions for treatment and follow-up.