The Nation Newspaper

Tag: oral

  • Unilever Nigeria harps on oral hygiene

    Unilever Nigeria harps on oral hygiene

    Unilever Nigeria Plc, maker of Pepsodent toothpaste, has charged Nigerians to adopt good oral care practices by brushing twice daily to improve general health and quality of life.

    Speaking at the end of the National Oral Health Week yesterday, Regional Sales Manager, Middle Belt, Unilever Nigeria Plc, David Ebah, reaffirmed Unilever Nigeria’s commitment to improving oral healthcare among Nigerians.

    In 2016, Unilever Nigeria signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Ministry of Health to improve the oral health of children in Nigeria and educate them on the importance of brushing day and night via the Unilever Brush Day and Night Schools Programme.

    Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria Plc, Toluwaleke Salu stated that since 2014, through the Pepsodent Brush Day and Night Schools Programme, Unilever has directly educated over 3.5 million Nigerian children to imbibe the culture of brushing twice daily by using a fluoride toothpaste such as Pepsodent, in order to prevent oral diseases.

  • LUTH holds oral health education for children

    LUTH holds oral health education for children

    The Department of Child Dental Health, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), has organised an oral health education session for children to commemorate the Children’s Day.

    The event was to educate the children on the importance of their teeth.

    Addressing the kids, a dentist, Dr. Akangbe Oluwatobi, said: “In a child’s life, there are two stages of teeth; the milk teeth and the permanent teeth. Good and healthy milk teeth will pave the way for the permanent teeth.Take good care of your teeth at your young age, because from ages six to seven, the adult teeth start to grow, and are 32 in number”.

    Speaking on brushing techniques, Akangbe advised that mothers should start brushing their children’s teeth immediately milk teeth appear at the age of six months, using, a smear of the appropriate paste. Meanwhile, brushing, he said, should be supervised for children below the age of seven years.

    Akangbe also warned that children below the age of five should not be allowed to brush their teeth without the supervision of their parents or guardians.

    “When there is bleeding in the gum, report to your parents and see a dentist immediately,” he counselled. Flossing is done to remove food particles between the teeth where the toothbrush may not be able to remove. It is necessary to floss regularly,” Akangbe added.

    He also stressed the importance of monitoring the texture of the bristles of toothbrushes used by children, noting that children should always use soft brushes. He added that, those under three years should use a little smear of toothpaste, compared to that of children above three years. Toothbrushes should be changed every three months or when the bristles are worn out.

    He said that there are toothpastes designed for each age grade, while also commenting on th0e ingredients. He said: “Toothpaste contains fluoride, which helps to repair and strengthen the tooth’s enamel as well as gentle abrasives to help polish the teeth, and remove stains and plaque. There is toothpaste for every age.”

    Regarding healthy diet for the formation of strong teeth, he advised mothers to feed their children exclusively with breast milk for at least six months. He added that at 12 months, parents should stop feeding children with feeding bottles.

    Warning on the insalubrity of giving children sweet drinks in feeding bottles, he admonished parents to give fresh milk, water and fruits to the children.

  • Unilever targets one million children on oral Health Day

    Unilever targets one million children on oral Health Day

    Unilever Nigeria Plc is targeting one million children in this year’s Oral Health Day, which holds at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere, Lagos on March 18.

    The firm, through its brand, Pepsodent with the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), is promoting the culture of brushing day and night for healthy oral-care.

    Unilever Nigeria’s Vice President, Brand Building, Robbert-de Vreede, said the firm was committed to doing business in a sustainable way. This, he said was  why the firm is partnering the Nigerian Dental Association, Federal Ministry of Health and others to create awareness on oral health.

    He said: “Ninety per cent of the world’s population suffers from oral diseases. When kids are affected by such diseases, they may not be able to bear the pain and as such affect them in school or cause them to drop out of school for a period of time.

    “This year, we are educating one million children directly on how to take care of their teeth by brushing day and night using fluoride toothpaste such as Pepsodent.’’

    Nigerian Dental Association President Dr Bode Ijarogbe said World Oral Health Day is aimed at increasing awareness for oral health as well as the impact of oral diseases on general health, well-being and national economies.

    The theme for this year’s celebrations is Brush Day and Night… Healthy mouth. Healthy body.

    Category Manager, Oral Care, Unilever Nigeria, Bunmi Adeniba said the firm was committed to improving the oral health of 10 million children  by 2020 through Pepsodent Brush Day and Night schools programme.

    The World Oral Health Day  includes Brush Day and Night campaign, health awareness walk from LUTH, Idi-Araba to Jibowu Bus stop, Lagos, dental outreaches with minor interventions to rural communities.

  • Firm committed to oral health

    Oral-B, a brand of Procter & Gamble, has restated its commitment to Nigerians’ oral health need.

    Its Brand Manager in Sub-Saharan Africa, Aliza Leferink, said the company’s mission is to make Nigerians  have stronger and healthier teeth.

    He spoke at last year’s National Oral Health Week in Lagos.

    Leferink said: “Healthy teeth and gums are fundamental to overall health and well-being. We want Nigerians to have stronger teeth, which comes from forming a great daily care habit, consistency and the right toothpaste use.”

    He continued: ”Maintaining healthy teeth can be achieved by following a number of simple principles, and Oral-B wants to help consumers on their way to better oral-care-routines.”

    Leferink advised people to brush twice daily and floss regularly, stressing that most people find it difficult to brush at night. “But this is one of the most effective ways of preventing germs, gum disease and tooth decay in the long term. Brushing at least twice daily will help to prevent acid build up from the breakdown of food by bacteria,” he added.