Oral Care Project Launched in a Country Where 99% of Children's Cavities Go Untreated*

Dr. Kishi performing care while showing children their own teeth

Japan Heart, a non-profit organization and international medical NGO originating from Japan (Headquarters: Taito-ku, Tokyo; Chairperson: Haruna Yoshioka), has launched an oral care project in Cambodia. The organization is now fully commencing activities aimed at improving quality of life (QOL) through oral care and reducing treatment side effects for long-term hospitalized patients.

This new initiative is driven by the background of the local situation, where tooth-brushing habits have not taken root, there is a severe shortage of dentists, and oral diseases are relatively neglected, often leading to a culture of "only seeing a doctor when it hurts, and just pulling the tooth out." In fact, data for 6-year-olds in Cambodia shows a stark contrast to Japan: despite a 97% cavity prevalence rate, 99%* of these cases remain untreated.

*Source: Cambodian National Oral Health Survey 2011 (Cited from a 2019 paper)

Children curiously learning about oral care in their hospital room

Under these circumstances, Japan Heart’s pediatric base hospital has faced challenges where long-term hospitalization, treatment, and surgery often lead to deteriorating oral conditions and increased infection risks.

To improve this, Japan Heart is strengthening pre- and post-operative oral management, as well as oral care during treatment for patients at high risk of side effects. Furthermore, the organization is utilizing the hospitalization period to help establish tooth-brushing habits, fostering the ability for children to protect their own health.

The organization also plans to develop awareness-raising activities for oral care and promote tooth-brushing habits to improve consciousness across the country. Moving forward, Japan Heart aims to establish sustainable oral care by engaging with both the medical field and the local community.

This project is led by oral surgeon Dr. Naoko Kishi, who has been in charge of the "Comprehensive Cleft Lip and Palate Treatment Project," a key focus of Japan Heart's Myanmar operations. This project is being implemented with the support of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

[Comment from Dr. Naoko Kishi, Dentist (Oral Surgeon)]

In Japan, it is well known that oral care plays an important role in post-operative wound healing, shortening hospital stays, and preventing infectious diseases like pneumonia. However, the reality is that this is still not recognized in Cambodia. Beyond helping local medical staff, children, and their families understand its importance, I hope to be of service so that they can live their daily lives with a little more brightness.

[Profile] Born in 1975. Born with a cleft lip and palate herself, she learned during her student years that people in developing countries with the same disability were unable to receive treatment, which led her to become an oral surgeon. She began working at Japan Heart's Myanmar base in 2013, and since 2024, she has continued her support activities in Japan Heart's medical field while working at Hiroshima University.