Katsunori Yamaura: Oral Care Initiatives by Pharmacists

2022/04/18

In recent years, pharmacies and pharmacists are required not only to engage in insurance dispensing but also to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of the public's health. "Health Support Pharmacy" is a system where only pharmacies meeting the standards set by the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare can use the label, and registration began in 2016. These pharmacies are expected to have pharmacists who have completed prescribed training on-site, collaborate with local medical institutions, and lead the disease prevention and health maintenance/promotion of local residents. This Juku's Faculty of Pharmacy University Community Pharmacy is also a Health Support Pharmacy.

In terms of pharmacists' involvement in supporting the health of local residents, an area that has not received much focus as it was previously considered outside their expertise is the prevention of oral diseases and the maintenance and promotion of oral health through oral care. Periodontal disease, a representative oral disease, has been proven by many recent studies to be an exacerbating factor for serious systemic diseases such as diabetes, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, and even dementia. Furthermore, periodontal disease is recognized by the Guinness World Records as "the disease with the highest number of patients in the world," and the number of periodontal disease patients in Japan is second only to hypertension patients and continues to increase. If pharmacies and pharmacists, including Health Support Pharmacies, call on the public to practice oral care, focus on the prevention and early detection of periodontal disease, and play a role in connecting patients to dentists before the condition becomes severe, it will contribute to the prevention of systemic diseases in the public. In our country, where the population aged 100 and over exceeds 80,000, national medical expenses continue to rise, approaching 45 trillion yen; however, the promotion of oral care by pharmacists is thought to be able to contribute to the reduction of medical costs.

On the other hand, the results of an awareness survey we conducted among pharmacists showed that the percentage of those who recognize responding to oral care as a role of pharmacy pharmacists is low. As a challenge in promoting the maintenance and promotion of oral health, approximately 80% of pharmacists cited a lack of oral-related education and training for pharmacists.

Since 2015, it has become possible to conduct intraoral environment checks using saliva at pharmacy counters, and this Juku's Faculty of Pharmacy University Community Pharmacy has also started this service. When we conducted an awareness survey among dentists in Tokyo regarding this service, it became clear that 85% of dentists welcomed it. Furthermore, the Japanese Society of Oral Care established a Pharmacist Division in 2021 and has begun supporting pharmacists in acquiring practical knowledge of oral care, such as by launching a certification system for pharmacists. I look forward to a future where pharmacists collaborate with dentists to contribute to the maintenance and promotion of the public's health through oral care.