MANILA, Feb. 21 -- Seven out of 10 Filipinos, or 72 percent of the population, have dental caries or tooth decay, the Philippine Dental Association (PDA) said on Wednesday.

"Bulk of these statistics are five to 12 years old, meaning the school children of the Philippines. It has become the leading reason why children are absent from school," PDA executive secretary Sheryl Lantican said in a media Kapihan forum.

"Based on my professional experience, madaming workers, employees also na di makakapasok sa trabaho (many workers, employees also who cannot go to work), only because they are experiencing toothache."

While caries seems unimportant to many Filipinos, Lantican said it is now considered a disease locally and globally.

She said su...