Nearly a quarter of over 65s toothless

Nadira Gunatilleke

According to the latest statistics, 22 per cent of elderly Sri Lankans over the age of 65 do not have even a single tooth .

They should have at least 20 teeth in their mouth when they pass the age of 65 . At present the number of dental cavities in the teeth among Sri Lankans are equal to the number of the total population of Sri Lanka multiplied by 12, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

The Health Ministry has organized the National ceremony at the National Health Institute, Kalutara to mark World Health Day which falls today.

The National ceremony will be held under the patronage of Deputy Health Minister Lalith Dissanayake, Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Minister Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Ports and Highways Deputy Minister Rohitha Abeygunawardene.

It will be held countrywide this year too under the direction of Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena since the last observation was conducted in 2003, he said.

This year the observation will cover the entire country including the North and the East. The observation will cover 10,000 people in five different age groups he added.