Unilever Ghana observes World Oral Health Day

By Edna A. Quansah, GNA
Accra, Mar. 21, GNA - Unilever Ghana, one of the world's leading suppliers of Food, Home and Personal Care products on Tuesday marked the World Oral Health Day (WOHD) with students, health workers and other stakeholders in the oral health care sector across the country.

The WOHD is celebrated every yearly on March 20, and this years' celebration had the theme 'Live MOUTH SMART'.

Observing the Day at the Ghana International Trade Fair, Unilever Ghana highlighted the ceremony with Ghana's favourite oral care brand, Pepsodent.

The ceremony, which attracted over 5,000 persons, emphasized the importance of brushing one's teeth twice daily with a fluoride toothpaste like Pepsodent to avoid decay.

Statistically, it is estimated that more than 1 billion people do not use fluoride toothpastes and over 3 billion do not brush their teeth twice a day. Globally, Africa is in the midst of an oral health crisis, where dental decay affects nearly 100 per cent of adults and up to 90 per cent of children

In Ghana, 40 percent of 12 year olds suffer from decayed, missing and stained teeth, as well as bad breath.

The Managing Director of Unilever Ghana, Yeo Ziobeieton, who addressed the gathering, said 'Unilever believes behavioural change is the key to more frequent brushing and better oral health. That is why in Africa, Pepsodent aims to reach 25 million children face to face with oral health improvement programmes by 2020. And as of January 2017, we had already reached more than 4.1 million children across nine countries.'

President of the Ghana Dental Association, Dr Asante Appiah said 'We need to empower people to take control of their oral health - throughout life - so that they can enjoy a healthy, mouth from childhood into old age. Maintaining optimal oral health into old age ensures you live not only a longer life, but also one free from the physical pain and often emotional suffering caused by oral disease.'

The Minister of Health, Kweku Agyemang Manu, encouraged Ghanaians to take oral health seriously as it goes a long way in supporting a healthy lifestyle and building the confidence needed to interact with others.

He also commended oral health practitioners and Unilever Ghana for the effort put into the various educational initiatives aimed at improving oral health care delivery in the country.

Ghana's leading oral care brand, Pepsodent, used the occasion to launch a new mobile driven campaign called Little Brush Big Brush to the general public. Little Brush Big Brush is a 21-day behavioural change programme to help families and children to build better tooth brushing habits through fun and play.

GNA