More students suffer from various gum diseases
About 20 per cent of schoolchildren in the country suffer from tooth decay while 80 per cent also suffer from various forms of gum diseases, the Director of the School Health Education Unit (SHEP) of the Ghana Education Service (GES), Ms Kate Opoku, has revealed.
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Speaking at the launch of this year’s World Oral Health Day (WOHD) at Christ the King School in Accra on Friday she said it was also estimated that less than one out of five children in the country get preventive dental services because of financial constraints or negligence on the part of their parents or guardians.
The WOHD is celebrated annually to promote worldwide awareness of issues about oral health and the importance of keeping good oral health, and this year’s event, which would be held on March 20, is on the theme: “It all starts here, healthy mouth, healthy body.”
In Ghana, the celebration is being organised by Unilever Ghana Limited, in conjunction with the Ghana Health Service, GES and the Ghana Dental Association (GDA).
Activities earmarked for the celebrations include education campaign and competition on oral health for pupils in some selected schools, as well as free dental screening, treatment and education in some communities.
Ms Opoku said there was the need for people to take oral health seriously because it was essential to the general well-being of people.
“Parents in particular ought to encourage their children to cultivate good oral care habits in order for them to grow with the habit,” she stated.
The General Secretary of the GDA, Dr Paapa Pupulampu, emphasised the need for people to brush their teeth twice a day and also seek dental care at least once a year to help promote their oral health, adding that “good oral health also helps to build confidence.”
