By Chioma Obinna
As Nigeria joined the rest of the world to mark this year’s World Oral Day, observers have rated  oral health in the country poorly.  Lagos State House Committee Chairman on Health, Hon. Samuel Adejare who gave hard knocks to oral healthcare in Nigeria said the culture of dental care in Nigeria is appalling and chided Nigerians for not exhibiting good oral hygiene.

Adejare  further noted that life threatening diseases such as cardiovascular disorders could have been detected earlier if attention is paid to oral health.

He spoke during the 8.5 kilometre walk organised by the Lagos State Chapter of Nigeria Dental Association in Lagos and  Macleans, calling on Nigerians to imbibe good  dental needs as the mouth is  gateway to the whole body.

Lagos State, is currently working on possibility of free access to dental care in the and the State House of Assembly is ready to support policies to allow free  oral healthcare in the State.

“Most people are not aware of the fact that they should take care of their mouth. We all know that the mouth is the gateway to the whole body. When the mouth is healthy, tendency is there for the whole body to be healthy,”  said the 2nd National Vice President,  Dr. Olurotimi Olojede.

He explained that many diseases  emanate from the mouth and systemic diseases can be detected as early as possible as they manifest in the mouth.

He said  it is paramount to have an idea of the to care for one’s mouth. “Also, we should take care of our mouth the way we take care of our cars. That is why we recommend that at least twice a year, you should endeavour to see your dentist.”

Theme for the year “Creating Awareness for all Nigerians Concerning Good Oral Health” is to increase the awareness between the inequalities in primary healthcare (PHC) in particular. Olojede canvassed for  inclusion of PHC as part of oral healthcare.

Dr. Lateefat  Agbaje, Chairperson of the Nigerian Dental Association, (NDA) Lagos State Branch, recalled that 12th of September every year is  set aside by the Federation of Dental International (FDI) – governing body of dentistry as the World Oral Health Day.

Agbaje  said oral health programme as a policy in Nigeria was not in existence until the tenure of late Minister for Health, Prof Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, “where we see the policy of bringing health to the grassroots. Not just to the elite but to everybody. We have the privilege of accessing our health facilities, not just for the few in the society but for everyone”

She warned of the need to alert a dentist the moment a person sees something different in the mouth further explained that systemic diseases can manifest orally, when you see blood coming out of ones mouth.