While the effects of the war in Ukraine have been felt around the world, they have had the strongest effect on Ukrainians. There have been numerous concerns, from the safety of Ukrainians to their access to food and shelter. But dentistry hasn’t been as prominent.
The Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister, however, says it should be a focus.
Meet the Deputy Health Minister
Oksana Dmytriieva is the Ukrainian Deputy Health Minister and a dentist. She ran her dental clinic before becoming the Deputy Health Minister. While she still practices there, she passed the daily operations to another dentist to focus on her national role.
What Dr. Dmytriieva Said
The Deputy Health Minister strongly feels that dentistry should be accessible to those on the frontline of the war. Thanks to international help, Ukraine has a mobile dental clinic already operating at the front. However, she estimates that they would need about 40 of these mobile clinics to address the dental health of Ukrainians properly.
Dentistry Is More Than Cosmetics
Dr. Dmytriieva mentioned that dentistry tends to get less attention than other medical needs. This is because some viewed it as “less important” or “purely cosmetic,” but this is far from the truth.
In reality, dental pain and dental disease complications can be very serious.
In addition to the need for mobile clinics, she encourages dentists worldwide to share their knowledge. Thanks to video conferencing systems, this is easier than ever.
Conclusion
People need to pay more attention to dentistry when discussing the war in Ukraine. This is because the lack of dental care can have far-reaching effects, especially in the case of dental disease. The next time you visit Dr. Sharma for a dental cleaning, consider how fortunate you are to have easy access to a dentist.
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