The Need

Bolivia is landlocked and the poorest country in South America. With poverty comes poor medical and dental health especially for the disadvantaged in the rural community areas. Nowhere in South America is the lack of preventive dental care more alarmingly evident than in Bolivia, where thousands of young people are seen with severely decayed, life threatening abscesses and missing teeth resulting from an epidemic of dental caries. The oral cavity is an essential part of the body and contributes to total health and well-being. Recent research indicates that poor oral health affects general health. The two main diseases dental caries (tooth decay) and periodontal disease (infection of the gum that leads to tooth loss).Untreated tooth decay can lead to pain, inadequate nutrition, speech problems, poor self esteem, missing many days from school even death when not attended to. It is essential to provide adequate nutritional counseling to Children, their families, as well as the school or other organizations where they congregate. Prevention and follow up begins there. Sugary soft drinks containing acids are a huge problem (Decay and erosion of teeth). We advocate natural products with good nutritional values instead of refined processed food. For pregnant mothers we advocate yellow green fruits and vegetables that provide A, C and D vitamins to prevent cleft palate and other facial disorders as well as breast feeding to discourage dental decay. We discourage excessive tobacco and alcohol use that can lead to oral cancer .The use is very prevalent in Latin America especially in rural communities. Periodontal disease can spread through the bloodstream and contribute to heart disease, diabetes, and low birth weight babies and premature birth. The American Heart Association (2011) stated that a general dental cleaning reduces heart attacks by 24% and stroke by 13%.