‘Jjirit Sikkeun’ Toothache? Don’t Endure It, Go to Gimhae-si Public Health Center!

Pilot Project for Total Oral Health Care for Persons with Disabilities

A citizen is receiving dental treatment at the Public Health Center in Gimhae-si, Gyeongnam.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] The Gimhae City Public Health Center in Gyeongnam is launching a pilot project for total oral health care targeting people with disabilities.

According to the city, the number of registered disabled persons in Gimhae is about 25,000, with a disability rate of 4.6% of the population, showing an increasing trend over the past three years.

In a survey on the oral health status of people with disabilities conducted by the health center, 15.5% responded that their overall health was poor, and 22.1% said their oral health was poor, indicating that oral health is generally perceived to be worse than overall health.

A health center official explained, “People with disabilities are largely marginalized in terms of access to medical care, and they are especially vulnerable in dental treatment.”

The city health center plans to provide step-by-step oral health services, starting with familiarizing nine disability day activity providers with the dental environment, followed by tooth brushing education, scaling, and early cavity treatment.

The official emphasized, “Oral diseases require preventive care and continuous management rather than one-time treatment,” adding, “Rather than unilateral general anesthesia treatment, although it may be somewhat difficult, adaptation training is necessary, and regular dental visits should be encouraged to help patients become accustomed to the treatment environment.”

They continued, “Proper tooth brushing, regular dental visits, and preventive care are essential to expect improvements in oral health,” and said, “We hope that through appropriate management, people can be freed from dental diseases and the pain of dental treatment.”

Lee Jonghak, director of the health center, said, “Starting with this pilot project, the health center will make greater efforts to prevent oral diseases among vulnerable groups such as people with disabilities.”