KEEP 20 or more of your own teeth by the time you reach the age of 80 years.
This is the central message of Japan’s “8020 Campaign.”
The campaign was launched in 1989 by Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Japan Dental Association.
At the time, only seven percent of Japanese aged 80 and above have 20 or more teeth.
The campaign aims for more than 50 percent of Japanese over the age of 80 to retain 20 or more teeth by the year 2022.
The pioneering campaign is cited by the “Vision 2030: Delivering Optimal Oral Health for All,” a new and comprehensive report from the Switzerland-based FDI World Dental Federation.
Japan’s campaign adopted a lifelong approach to preventing tooth loss by engaging all generations. They included young children aged 1.5 years and three years, expectant mothers, and those aged 40 to 75 and over.
The ministries of education, culture, sports, science and technology provided the school-based initiatives, which included annual checkups by a school dentist to children aged between six and 18 years. School-based fluoride mouth-rinsing programs for children and adolescents aged between four and 14 years were launched.
A national survey of dental diseases in 2016 found that 51 percent of 80-year-olds in Japan had more than 20 teeth, which indicated that the campaign reached its goal six years before its target year of 2022.
The prevalence of tooth decay among children also decreased as a result of the campaign.
By 2016, more than half of the 80-year-olds in Japan have more than 20 teeth.
The Vision 2030 report cites another initiative in New Zealand where sugary drinks are the leading source of sugar intake for children.
Sugary drinks are a major risk factor for tooth decay, obesity, and type two diabetes.
The New Zealand Dental Association played a key role in harnessing the attention of dental professionals and the public to support action against the sugary drink industry.
Awareness of the dangers of sugary drinks has been greatly enhanced by the advocacy.
In 2014, Nelson Hospital was the first hospital in New Zealand (and the world) to impose a policy that selling sugary drinks on its premises was inappropriate.
It had a domino effect. Within 18 months, all hospitals in New Zealand have a similar policy in place.
A significant number of hospitals also adopted a water-only policy.
Advocates approached the local mayor and city council of Nelson, which then passed a sugar-sweetened beverage-free policy. Many city councils across New Zealand soon followed suit.
So did local schools, which initiated a water-only policy.
The Ministry of Education was encouraged to urge schools throughout New Zealand to adopt a water-only policy.
In line with this successful advocacy approach, one of the major supermarket chains adopted a policy to limit the sale of energy drinks to youth under 16 years of age. It created sugary-drink-free checkout aisles./PN
