Cavities affect 9 out of 10 adult Moroccans

Nine out of 10 adult Moroccans are affected by cavities and two out of every three 12-year-old children suffer from toothache, according to a recent epidemiological study.

The study, whose results were released on the occasion of an oral hygiene campaign in Moroccan schools last week, points out that sensitization of the population to oral hygiene has become more indispensable in Morocco, in view of the huge number of people with cavities.

This situation has led the Moroccan Public Health Ministry to include oral hygiene among the department's top priorities.

The study showed that Morocco is among countries where toothpaste is least used. The annual consumption per inhabitant is over 10 times lower than world consumption.

Every year an awareness campaign is staged in various regions of the Moroccan kingdom as part of a national oral hygiene program which started in 1991.

The aim of the campaign, jointly carried out by the ministries of health, national education and a multinational toothpaste manufacturing company, is to sensitize and educate school children on oral hygiene.

The campaign includes a documentary film show and cartoons on the principles of oral hygiene. This year's campaign targeted 3 million children.