The Department of Preventive Health under the Ministry of Health has also reported that more than 80 percent of primary school students nationwide suffer from gum disease and tooth decay.

The shocking figures were attributed to a lack of awareness about dental care, and a high consumption of sweets, as more urban children experienced dental problems than rural ones, even though city kids reportedly took better care of their teeth.

According to the hospital, a lack of dental care centres in schools has added to the problem. One hundred and eighty five institutions, or less than 50 percent of the city’s total, report they have dental care centres, but many have stopped operation due to lack of staff and poor pay.

Doctor Le Dong Khanh, deputy chairman of the national school-based dental care plan said Vietnam did not have a long-term programme for dental care in schools.

From 2006-2010, the national school-based dental care plan aims to set up 200 to 300 dental care clinics each year with staff and facilities for 400,000 to 600,000 students. As the result, from 3-5 million students, or 70 percent of children nationwide, should benefit.

Up to now, the programme has been unable to instill an understanding of the importance of dental care and many existing centres are lacking facilities, said Khanh. In addition, parents need to take more responsibility for educating their children, especially young children, about dental care. Schools, parents and doctors need to cooperate on this issue.