ORAL HEALTH DRIVE ON THIS WEEKEND

Vogue Dental World educates on oral health

Vogue Dental World (VDW), in collaboration with Total Dental Care, the Ministry of Health (Southern DHMT Dental departments), and the Jwaneng Mine Hospital Dental and Wellness Team, will raise awareness on oral health diseases at Thankane Primary School this weekend.

The “Smiles for Botswana” initiative aims to provide public education and screening for oral and general health diseases, with the goal of alleviating the burden of curative measures resulting from late presentations to health facilities. The mission will kickstart at Thankane Primary School, situated 80km away from Jwaneng. Dr. Bonolo

Mannathoko-Molefhe, the Coordinator at VDW, informed Sun Health that the initiative seeks to advocate for education and awareness on oral health diseases, particularly non-communicable diseases such as gum disease and tooth decay, which are major concerns for the Botswana population.

Dr. Mannathoko-Molefhe emphasized that since the mouth is not isolated from the rest of the body, the campaign will also include awareness and screening for other health conditions. She highlighted that the activities for this campaign were initiated following VDW’s participation in the 7th World Wellness Weekend in September, underscoring the importance of strengthening discussions on oral health wellness.

The initiative is further supported by Colgate Botswana and Boitekanelo College, who have generously donated toothpaste and toothbrushes for the project. Dr. Mannathoko-Molefhe expressed the intention to extend this support to other parts of the country, urging stakeholders in the industry and organizations to join and endorse this noble idea in the fight against oral diseases.

She reiterated that their inspiration for this initiative came from the VDW conference held in May this year, where the Minister of Health, Dr. Edwin Dikoloti, urged attendees to extend their efforts to rural communities with limited access to oral health care.