FG, Pepsodent Heighten Move to Eradicate Dental Problems

To ensure that Nigerians have access to dental care, stakeholders in the health sector with dental experts gathered in Abuja recently to affirm their commitments to improving the oral health status of all Nigerians.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, who spoke during the press briefing to flag off the 2015 National Oral Health Week, admonished Nigerians to see their oral health as closely integrated with their general health, as the mouth was the gate way to the body, adding that, several oral diseases were related to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension.

Ehanire, noted that recently, Nigeria has marked improvements in oral health system through the renewed vigour invested in oral activities in the country, most especially in the area of oral health promotion by all relevant stakeholders and policy makers.

With the theme of this year’s programme, ‘Good Oral Health, Better Health for Nigerians’, he said that the ministry was partnering relevant stakeholders to rapidly reduce the burden of these diseases through prevention, early detection and management of cases.

On her part, the Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba, pledged the company’s committed to improving the oral health of 10 million Nigerian children by 2020 through Pepsodent Brush Day and Night schools programme, adding that, about one million school children were being reached in 2015 .”The Pepsodent mobile dental clinic has also been delivering FREE dental care to thousands of Nigerians everyday across the country,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Brand Manager Pepsodent, Unilever Nigeria, George Umoh, emphasised that, “we are driving positive habit change and promoting the culture of brushing twice daily, which is a global best practice to healthy (oral-care) living.”