Petaling Jaya – How many of your natural teeth would you still retain when you reach 60 years old? Or 80? Have you ever wondered how life would be like if you do not have adequately functional teeth? Imagine starting off your day with very limited choices in what you could eat. Your exposed gums are also at risk of infections and diseases going into your body. According to World Health Organization (‘WHO’) Fact sheet N°318, poor oral hygiene is a risk factor to oral disease and oral diseases are often linked to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. Due to these additional health complications, people without teeth may live shorter lives than those with a full set of teeth.

Besides the health and dietary complications, people who do not have teeth or have poor dental care are usually less confident than those who do. Speaking would be a big challenge without teeth. Imagine not being able to smile due to the embarrassment of your missing teeth or not being able to speak clearly due to the gaps from the loss of teeth.

SYSTEMA the number 1 selling toothbrush in Japan, in partnership with the Department of Social Welfare (‘JKM’) which is an agency under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development (‘KPWKM’) and the Malaysian Private Dental Practitioners’ Association kicked off the “Start Right Brush Right. Healthy Teeth For Life” campaign. The campaign which coincided with the celebration of World Oral Health month was officially launched by the Deputy Minister of Women, Family & Community Development, Yang Berhormat Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

The “Start Right Brush Right. Healthy Teeth For Life” campaign is aimed to encourage Malaysians to maintain at least 20 teeth even when they reach 80 years old by cultivating better oral care habits as part of their daily routine from young. The campaign targets at providing Malaysians with accurate information and knowledge about oral hygiene. SYSTEMA believes that good oral hygiene begins with 2 simple steps, which are to choose the right toothbrush as well as to start adopting the right brushing techniques and habits recommended by dental professionals.

Speaking at the launch of the campaign, Yang Berhormat Senator Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun said, “Women as mothers should inculcate proper oral care from an early age. From helping a child brush their teeth until they are old enough to hold their own toothbrush, mothers are the ones to educate brushing technique as well as in ensuring they brush at least twice daily. It is never too early to start teaching your children to take care of their teeth and gums as healthy habits learned in childhood can pay off in adulthood.“

“For healthy teeth and gums, a toothbrush is the most important tool; it must be able to clean beyond just tooth surfaces but effectively all parts of the teeth especially the difficult to reach gum lines, back teeth and between teeth, yet is gentle on the gums and teeth. With the patented 0.02mm tapered bristles from SYSTEMA, tackling the tough brushing challenge of reaching every part of our teeth to remove plaque and food debris can be done in an efficient and comfortable way,” said Christina Yong the Marketing Director of Southern Lion.

Meanwhile, Dr Nedunchelian Vengu the President of Private Dental Practitioners’ Association while stressing on the importance of oral care said, “Based on the National Oral Health Survey 2010, 95% of adults perceived that they are with good oral health. And only 10% of Malaysians visit the dentist based on the recommended 6 months once routine oral check. However, at the same time, there’s also an increased prevalence of periodontal disease amongst Malaysian adults from 87.2% to 94% in 10 years and one in every three adults experienced oral health problems affecting their quality of life in the past 3 months.”

The SYSTEMA “Start Right Brush Right. Healthy Teeth For Life” campaign kicks off with a roadshow in partnership with Guardian Pharmacy at Centre Court, 1 Utama Shopping Centre from 22nd to 27th March. The six-day event is to educate and share the importance of good oral care practice which starts from the basics of knowing the right way to brush our teeth and using the correct toothbrush. There will also be other on-ground activities and promotions in line with this campaign held at key retail outlets nationwide.

Giving a talk on the topic of selecting the right toothbrush and brushing using the correct brushing technique Dr. Fauziah Mohamed Yunus explained, “Choosing soft tapered bristles have several benefits: they can penetrate gum line and in between teeth better. Also, soft tapered bristles are far gentler on the enamel of teeth and the gums, too. Soft bristles are important because, although it may seem like using a brush with harder bristles would get your teeth cleaner… what they actually do is cause gingival recession which can expose the roots of your teeth that lacks the protective enamel and is easily abraded. Hard brushing with hard bristles not only lead to painful gums but also the damaged gums that can fill with bacteria and germs,”

At the campaign roadshow, friendly dental officers will be conducting free oral checks for the general public using the intraoral dental camera technology. Using this method of tooth checking will enable the public to see for themselves the condition of their teeth and this will help them realise the need to start caring for their teeth. This method will also help reduce the fear of the dental chair that some may have due to past experiences.

The SYSTEMA team will also be teaching the public the right brushing technique and will also guide the public on the selection of toothbrush in accordance to their brushing habits as well as their mouth size.

Children are not left out from this campaign as there are also activities for them at the KODOMO section. They will be taught oral care through story telling sessions, song & dance and also educational games to help them understand the importance of oral care in the most fun and playful way. There will also be colouring contests to further excite the kids.

In the spirit of helping more Malaysians to achieve healthy teeth and mouths, SYSTEMA took the opportunity to pledge 10,000 toothbrush dental kits to be contributed to the Ministry of Women, Family & Community Development for the Kembara Kebajikan 1 Malaysia in further encouraging good oral health care amongst Malaysians.

Now, achieving healthy teeth and gum is easy with SYSTEMA. Good oral care practice does more than just protect your mouth; it is also a great start to a healthy life. Start right, brush right to achieve healthy teeth for life!