To commemorate World’s Oral Day, Pepsodent, a global toothpaste brand, has vowed to empower and engage one million children in Nigeria on the importance of oral health to people’s well-being and quality of life.
The Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Director, Unilever West Africa, Soromidayo George, who spoke at a press conference in commemorating the Day, explained that children would be reached through the educational schools’ programme, with emphasis on the importance of brushing day and night. Free toothpastes and toothbrushes would be given to the children to facilitate their brushing habits, she said.
“In demonstration of our commitment to improving oral hygiene in Nigeria, Pepsodent has reached over five million school children by educating them on the importance of brushing twice daily and creating a 21-day routine for them to develop a habit of brushing first thing in the morning and the last thing at night. Free Pepsodent toothpaste and toothbrushes were given to the children to help facilitate their brushing habits,” she said.
The event with the theme, ‘Don’t wait until it’s too late #TalktoaDentist,’ aimed to help raise awareness to ensure people understand the importance of acting early, from the moment a problem arises.
The World Oral Health Day is a yearly activity celebrated globally to increase awareness of the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene and educate the public on the major activities that help to ensure good oral hygiene.
During its presentation at the event, the company highlighted that Pepsodent toothpaste has been at the forefront of driving conversations on good oral hygiene through initiatives that include but not limited to Schools Programme, Mobile Dental Clinics, Oral Health Education Conferences, and various consumer education and engagement across digital and traditional media in the country.
On her part, the Category Manager, Oral Care, Eva Ogudu, said the brand, in partnership with the Nigerian Dental Association(NDA), will have mobile dental clinics in specific neighbourhoods across the country to provide free dental services to consumers and make Pepsodent toothpaste available to them to drive consistent brush twice daily communication.
“In addition to our mobile dental clinic initiative for this year, there would be an online digital activation through Instagram live videostagged ‘Ask Your Dentist’ which would be launched on March 20, 2022, to provide consumers direct access to a dentist to ask their dental related questions.Through these initiatives, we aim to help millions of people take control of their oral health and avoid severe pain, costly and complicated treatments, and ultimately tooth loss through these services which would run yearly,” said Ogudu.
The President, NDA, Dr Kola Obagbemiro, also stressed the importance of good oral hygiene. “People often ignore the warning signs of a problem, such as a toothache or gum bleeding, hoping it will go away. However, talking to a dentist at the first sign of a problem can help fix the issues before they become serious. Understanding the terrible consequences of waiting, such as severe pain, more difficult and costly treatments, and ultimately, tooth loss, is vital to helping people realise why early identification and treatment is so important,” he said.
The Head of Dentistry, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Bola Alonge, joined other speakers at the event to encourage Nigerians to take their oral health seriously. “The government is working through the various healthcare systems in the country to make access to dentist commonplace to enable people improve on their oral health. We are also working with private sector through brands like Pepsodent to reach more people with enlightenment campaigns on importance of good oral health,” she said.