National school oral health programme target pupils, teachers and parents to improve livelihood.

Bright Smiles and bright futures for pupils, teachers and parents is topical in the North West Region with a campaign for the promotion of Oral health in schools. To thank for the initiative is the National Oral Health Programme and partners with a mission and commitment to meet up with the oral health needs of some 105.00 pupils and about 2.100 teachers before the year 2011 runs out. The target to be reached by the campaign is primary school children between the ages of six and above, teachers, health and educational authorities who are directly involved in training and policy implementation involving children. In effect, the National Volunteer for “Bright Smiles, Bright futures” in the North West, Dr. Agbor Michael Ashu took the campaign to Government Bilingual Primary schools in the neighbourhood of the GMI on September 16,2010 with messages of hope, free examination of pupils and free dental health care packs for all. It emerged from the campaign trail that Bright Smiles, Bright futures is all about Oral health education to develop knowledge and behaviour in children’s oral habits of basic hygiene, diet and physical activity. The initiative also emphasizes the importance of oral health as part of a child’s overall physical and emotional development.

On-the-spot, Mrs Ngong Emelda, a Dental Therapist at the service of the Mbingo Annex of the CBC Health Board drilled children on the need to brush their teeth regularly to maintain good body hygiene, prevent teeth from developing holes and prevent selves from bad odour. Around to cheer the initiative, the Regional Delegate of Basic Education, Mrs Fon Susan said the campaign builds a sustainable culture of health practice. She encouraged teachers to regularly follow up hygiene in schools.

It was also a rare moment for lessons on the subject with Dr. Agbor Michael Ashu revealing that tooth decay remains the most common totally preventable disease staring mankind on the face. In Cameroon , the lack of basic dental hygiene knowledge and practice, plus the change of traditional diets to western diets is to blame for an increase of the disease. It also emerged from the campaign literature that the tooth paste is an effective anti-caries agent. Away from that, the CBC Health Board has been operating a school oral health programme since 2008 and it is on record that during the 2009/2010 academic year, 3.700 children and 112 teachers were recruited into the programme with a total 957 treatments carried out for free in barely four schools. The campaign which also feature lessons on Clean hands as a solution indicate that 80 percent of diseases can be prevented with good hand washing techniques. Colgate, takes credit as the committed partner to provide oral health and hand washing habit programs to the children through the Bright Smiles, Bright futures National Oral Health programme.Dr Agbor Michael, the North West Cordinator also takes credit with Services as the Dentist at the Nkwen, Mbingo Annex of the CBC Health Board.