“Visit the Dentist Today and Prevent Tooth Decay”

This week, the Ministry of Health embarked in its annual awareness campaign on the importance of practicing dental hygiene. After a week of celebration, Dental Health Week culminated with a mini-fair at the parking lot of the K.H.M.H. in Belize City. This year’s theme was “Visit the Dentist Today and Prevent Tooth Decay.” Senior Dental Surgeon Doctor Rafael Samos told News Five that the biggest challenge is convincing people to visit the dentist at least twice per year. 

Rafael Samos

Dr. Rafael Samos, Senior Dental Surgeon, Ministry of Health

“It’s very important to take care of your teeth way ahead of time.  The visiting of the dentist at least twice a year will prevent you from spending a lot of money. It is amazing what a little toothbrush can do for you. Visit the Dentist Today and Prevent Tooth Decay; that’s the theme for this year that we picked. It’s a way of bringing awareness to all our community. We noticed that people have not been taking care of their teeth. We asked them when was the last time you visited the dentist. The answer is usually yesterday or ten years ago. If you start to calculate how old the person is then you multiply it by two and that’s the amount of visits you owe me.”