DOH chief says PH lacks dentists

MANILA, Philippines — The country is suffering from a lack of dentists, said Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Wednesday.

“We lack dentists,” said Herbosa in a Palace briefing.

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“There are only two government-owned dental schools, University of the Philippines and West Visayas State University, and the reason for that is it’s very expensive to put up a dental school because you’d have a dental chair per student,” he explained.

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According to Herbosa, dental equipment could reach up to P1 million. Most of the country’s dental schools are private.

Herbosa also added that it was important to create more dentists in the country as dental health was related to health as a whole since good teeth help people eat well.

“If you have a poor dental health, don’t expect to have good din ang health,” said Herbosa.