LIKE many Nigerians, for many years, 45-year-old Isa Adams believed he had good oral health. After all, he brushed his teeth once daily, oftentimes after breakfast. He therefore felt there was no need for him to seek the assistance of dentists on how to improve his oral health.But he changed his mind a few weeks ago when he noticed that his teeth was not only decaying, but was becoming too painful to brush. First, he applied concoction recommended by his neigbour, Musa. But when neither the ache nor the decay subsided, he had to visit the National Hospital, Abuja. He was treated for cavity (dental decay) and gingivitis ' the first stage of gum disease.Many are in Adams' shoes, either because of ignorance or because of lack of time. To reverse the trend and boost oral health in the country, Sensodyne, a brand of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), recently came up with Community Dental Health Education (CODEH) to sensitize corporate Nigerians on the importance of oral health to healthy living.According to the promoters of CODEH, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project would involve dentists going to selected companies to enlighten and examine their workers free of charge. Those with oral health challenges would then be advised to seek immediate help of dentists.In the spirit of CODEH, Sensodyne, in conjunction with the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), recently organized dental health awareness for members of staff of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) in Lagos. The DPR sensitization programme saw members of staff educated on causes and prevention of oral diseases by dentists from NDA and GSK. Participants were also educated on causes of sensitive teeth, gum disease, tooth decay and tooth discoloration among others.Furthermore, the DPR staff who got packs of Sensodyne oral health products, were taken through a teeth sensitive test to determine their dentine hypersensitivity status. Dentine hypersensitivity is sensation felt when the nerves inside the dentine of the teeth are exposed to hot or cold food. The sensation can range from irritation all the way to intense, sharp and shooting pain.NDA President, Dr. Orebanjo Olufemi, explained that the need to have healthy dental history could not be over-emphasized as poor oral health was capable of leading to loss of countless number of man hours.He added that studies have revealed the relationship between poor oral health and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancers and hypertension. The February 2012 edition of Non-Communicable Disease Watch ' a publication of Surveillance and Epidemiology Branch of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health of Hong Kong ' had reported that poor dental health was capable of worsening NCDs.'Studies have demonstrated that periodontal diseases are probably associated with increased risks for a number of life-threatening chronic diseases. For example, a link between periodontal disease and diabetes has long been noted. Periodontal disease can also possibly lead to a release of oral bacteria into the bloodstream and contribute to the formation of blood clots, thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD),' the publication reported.Olufemi corroborated the report, saying: 'We know that long dental diseases are signs of NCDs like hypertension, cancers and diabetes. Remember that dental diseases and NCDs are classified as lifestyle diseases. Therefore, while preventing oral diseases, one will be preventing NCDs.'Diabetes, for instance, could be diagnosed from the mouth as mouth odour could be suggestive of diabetes. And in diabetes, the first sign one may likely notice is rapid tooth loss. So, when you meet the dentist, he may suspect diabetes because tooth loss is known to complicate diabetes. Oral cancer is another thing that has been linked with poor dental health.'But all these are preventable with right attitude to life. Therefore, we should learn to eat right and learn to run way from carbohydrate-based foods and take natural fruits which are capable of supplying us nutrients in forms of vitamins and minerals. Fruits are also fibrous, which helps us to move the bowel and clean our mouth as we consume them. After eating orange, for instance, you have a sense of clean mouth.'He urged Nigerians to eat right and visit dentists at least twice yearly to forestall any dental disease.He also advised participants to brush twice daily ' after breakfast and the last thing before going to bed ' to discourage germs from acting on left over food in the mouth.Project Coordinator of Corporate CODEL for GSK, Dr. Ogechukwu Nwankwo, a dentist, said CODEH was developed to make dental healthcare accessible to corporate Nigerians, who may be too busy to have time to visit dentists on their own.Nwankwo, who said many Nigerians have sensitive teeth, added that the problem was being fueled by several factors, including wear, decaying teeth or exposed tooth roots through the use of hard brushes and eating acidic fruits like unripe orange annnd pineapple among others.She therefore advised Nigerians to always avoid acidic fruits and brush with soft brush and fluoride toothpaste at least twice daily.Proper tooth brushing involves holding the brush at a slight angle against one's teeth and brushing with short back-and-forth motions; brushing inside and chewing surfaces of teeth, as well as the tongue. Vigorous or harsh scrubbing is highly discouraged because it can irritate gums and lead to oral disease.
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