Firm Restates Commitment To Oral Health In Nigeria

The Oral-Care brand of Procter & Gamble, Oral-B, which has built a strong partnership with dental professionals in recent years, has restated its commitment to the continual improvement of the overall oral health of the Nation. Oral-B's mission, remains-to enable all Nigerians to have stronger and healthier teeth, going into 2016 and beyond.

Oral-B announced this at the National Oral Health Week 2015 held in Abuja recently and at a post Health Week Executive debrief session recently in Lagos.

At the National Oral Health Week organized by the Federal Ministry of Health, held in Abuja recently, The Honourable Minister of State for Health, Dr. Osagie Enahire had also made a similar appeal to Nigerians to see their “oral health as closely integrated with their general health system as the mouth is the gate way to the body and several oral diseases are related to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes mellitus and hypertension.”

The Nigerian Medical Journal (Olusile) had also noted that, “there are certain factors militating against good oral health care delivery in Nigeria which include: Culture, Myth & Fallacies, Poverty, and Fear of the Dental Clinics, Ignorance or low awareness and Lack of access, among others. However, low awareness of Oral health care and lack of access are probably the two most important factors. To the educated ones, dentistry is tooth extraction, and tooth extraction is associated with excruciating pain, so a visit to the Dentist is as a result. Persons with low socioeconomic status and the non-educated Nigerian do not even know who a Dentist is or what he does.”


Speaking at the Executive editorial debrief session following the 2015 National Oral Health Week, the Brand Manager of Oral B in Sub-Saharan Africa, Aliza Leferink,  pointed out that "healthy teeth and gums are fundamental to overall health and well-being. And we want Nigerians going into 2016 and beyond with stronger teeth, which comes from forming a great daily care habit, consistency and the right toothpaste use."

“Maintaining healthy teeth can be achieved by following a number of simple principles, and Oral-B wants to help Nigerian consumers on their way to better oral-care-routines.” Aliza advised that firstly, one should brush twice a day and floss daily. 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 a day will help to prevent acid build up from the breakdown of food by bacteria.

To brush the  teeth correctly, one should spend at least two minutes using a recommended technique, which includes 30 seconds brushing each section of your mouth (upper right, upper left, lower right and lower left), both morning and night. Start with outer and inner surfaces, and brush at a 45-degree angle in short, half-tooth-wide strokes against the gum line. Make sure you reach your back teeth. Move on to chewing surfaces. Hold the brush flat and brush back and forth along these surfaces. Once you get to the inside surfaces of your front teeth, tilt the brush vertically and use gentle up-and-down strokes with the tip of brush. Finally, brush your tongue in a back-to-front sweeping motion to remove food particles and help remove odor-causing bacteria to freshen your breath”.

Oral-B also demonstrated that the hygiene and condition of the tooth-brush itself is very important for a healthy mouth. Tooth brushes should be changed 3 to 4 times a year. If the toothbrush bristles become frayed and worn, they may lose their effectiveness, and when ineffective, it is not able to get into all of the nooks and crannies of your mouth and clean your teeth and gums as a new toothbrush does. Some studies have shown the typical toothbrush can harbor up to 10 million bacteria, so a good and frequently exchanged toothbrush will help keep your teeth clean and healthy.