Six new cases of oral cancer reported daily in Sri Lanka

By Rathindra Kuruwita

Parents should ensure that there is a minimum gap of two hours between a child’s consumption of sweets, Dr. Hemantha Amarasinghe, Head of the Department of Community Dentistry at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura said addressing a press conference in Colombo on Wednesday (20).

“We are not saying that children should not eat sweets. However, there should be gaps between consumption,” he said.Prof. Amarasinghe said people should brush their teeth with a toothpaste that contained fluoride. About 20 percent Sri Lankans use toothpastes that does not have fluoride, he said.

“50 percent of the people do not brush their teeth twice a day. Bad oral hygiene might lead to other serious diseases,” he said.

Nilantha Ratnayake – Consultant Dental Surgeon and vice secretary of the Sri Lanka Dental Association said that a person should consume less than 10 kilos of sugar a year.

“However, on average, a Sri Lankan consumes 34 kilos of sugar a year,” he said.He also said six new cases of oral cancers are reported daily in Sri Lanka and three people die of oral cancers each day.