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By Zika Bobby
In commemoration of the 2024 World Oral Health Day, Pepsodent, a toothpaste brand, has initiated a dental health campaign, tagged: “Talk to A Dentist,” in collaboration with the Nigerian Dental Association.
The campaign aims to reach 10 million children by 2025, with its launch beginning in schools and communities across Lagos.
Speaking at a briefing, Marketing Head, Beauty and Well-Being and Personal Care, Unilever Nigeria, Oiza Gyang, expressed the campaign’s motive to promote good oral health hygiene among children, emphasising Unilever’s commitment to combating poor oral healthcare in Nigeria.
Gyang highlighted the link between oral care diseases and absenteeism among school pupils, underlining Pepsodent’s efforts to reverse the trend through targeted initiatives.
“Globally, about 3.9 billion people suffer from one oral health condition or the other with tooth decay being the most prevalent oral disease. It has been established that children with poor oral health are more likely to suffer self-confidence and self-esteem issues. These days, we have since realised that the highest cause of school absenteeism is as a result of oral diseases,” she said.
In her welcome remarks, Category Manager, Oral Care at Unilever Nigeria, Eva Ogudu, outlined the campaign’s objectives to achieve zero cavities through consistent twice-daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste like Pepsodent and regular dental check-ups. She emphasised the initiative’s broader goal of democratising access to dental care, including free dental camps to eradicate oral diseases.
Ogudu reflected on past successes, noting the significant impact of previous campaigns in reaching millions of children and providing essential dental health services to thousands of Nigerians. She underscored the ongoing collaboration between Pepsodent and the Nigerian Dental Association in advancing oral health education and accessibility nationwide.
Also speaking, Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business, Unilever Nigeria, Godfrey Adejumoh, noted that the ‘Talk to a Dentist’ campaign embarked upon by Pepsodent remains one of the numerous initiatives outlined by Unilever Nigeria to improve people’s health, confidence and well-being. Adejumoh reiterated the company’s commitment to using its business to become a force for good in society.
On his part, Personal Care, Research and Development Head, Unilever Africa, Uchenna Nwakamma, explained the Pepsodent brand remains the preferred toothpaste for driving oral health care agenda because of its patented formulation.
In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Tope Adeyemi, said about 90 per cent of the world’s population are more likely to suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime.
Adeyemi said Nigerians must cultivate low cost preventive practices such as brushing of teeth twice daily with fluoride containing toothpaste, visitation of dentist as well as the adoption of healthy lifestyle to prevent common oral diseases. While appreciating the longstanding partnership on the ‘Talk To Dentist’ programme, he commended Unilever Nigeria for its steadfast commitment and support towards the actualisation of optimum oral health among Nigerians. Lamenting the limited access to oral health care services in Nigeria, especially in the rural areas, he said it was unfortunate that dentist to population ratio currently stands at 1:53,828 as against the recommended ratio of 1: 5,000.
Also, the Director of Dentistry Division at the Federal Ministry of Health, Gloria Uzoigwe, acknowledged government’s efforts to improve oral health policy, emphasising ongoing initiatives to integrate oral health into primary healthcare.
She commended Unilever for its contribution to oral health awareness and reiterated the government’s commitment to ensuring universal access to dental care for all Nigerians.
