A non-governmental organization, Perfect Smile Health Initiative, has urged the government at all levels to raise awareness about oral health.

The group made the call at Onigbogbo Primary Health Center during a one-day medical mission over the weekend.

Speaking at the event, Dr. Precious Isoge, CEO of Perfect Aesthetic Dental Clinic and Founder of Perfect Smile Health Initiative, urged the state and local governments to raise awareness about healthy oral practices.

“They need to create more awareness on radio, through jingles. Government should partner with private dental clinics or even the dental clinics that are inside the general hospitals so that they can create more awareness and create initiatives.”

“The mouth is the gateway to the entire body. Everything goes through the mouth. Oral health is more than teeth. Through an individual’s dental health, a dentist can determine whether a woman is pregnant, whether they have uncontrolled diabetes, uncontrolled hypertension, or cardiac diseases. That is why when someone has malaria or is feverish, their mouth tastes bitter. A dentist can also detect oral cancer early on. As we know, prevention is better than cure.

Something as little as teeth plaque, yellow, greenish stains on the teeth, can actually increases the health risk especially for individuals with high blood pressure.”

Explaining further, Dr Isoge said the outreach is inspired to give back to the community.”

“We realized that when it comes to outreach like this, the dental department is always lacking. So we decided that on this particular outreach, we are going to have the dental department doing dental cleaning and giving free tooth replacements to the people of this community that need it the most.”

A medical team of doctors, pharmacists, science lab technicians, nurses and volunteers attended to the beneficiaries at the one-day medical outreach for screening, prescription, and dispensing of free drugs to patients, the majority of whom could not afford prescribed drugs and services.

Over 1500 beneficiaries had their vitals checked, free malaria testing, free HIV screening, cholesterol, blood pressure check, blood sugar check. Emzor Pharmaceuticals also provided free Hepatitis B screening and vaccination, while Grace for Impact donated over 300 free reading glasses to beneficiaries whose eyes were screened, including this journalist.

According to one of the beneficiaries, Agatha Onwebo, I came because it is an excellent opportunity for people who are unable to pay large medical bills to receive them for free. I have had access to a variety of medical screenings, pharmaceutical drugs, and dental services, which have saved me nearly 100,000 naira.

Onwebo expressed gratitude to the organizers, saying that it is difficult to simply plan a medical outreach like this for a large number of people in a specific local government. I also want to thank them for making the drugs available, as well as the doctors and sponsors.”

However, the government should work with the organizers to make these services available in primary health care centers throughout Lagos.