MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Dental Association and allied leaders in dentistry, alongside the Department of Health, the University of the Philippines and the private sector has signed a commitment to stop tooth decay with the launch of the Philippine chapter of the Alliance for a Cavity Free Future (ACFF).
The ACFF is a global initiative aimed at stopping one of the most prevalent diseases affecting children and adults, dental caries.
In the Philippines, 92.4 percent of Filipinos suffer from tooth decay, which is primarily caused by poor oral hygiene, a sugar-rich diet and rare dental check-ups.
Most notably, the frequent ingestion of sugar-rich Filipino staples such as rice result in sugar acids that soften the enamel, resulting in tooth decay.
One of the primary goals of ACFF Philippines is that every child born from 2025 should stay cavity-free during his or her lifetime.