300 primary school pupils benefit from Rotary Club's free dental care

dimeji akinloye

July 18, 2017 12:56 PM

President of the Rotary Club said that the organization was targeting 10 public schools in July as part of activities to celebrate the Rotary Club month.

With 9 in 10 tooth decay untreated in Nigeria, dental experts advised Nigerians to brush day and night.

Three hundred pupils in public primary schools in Jos have so far benefited from a dental health medical outreach organised by the Rotary Club of Naraguta,

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), who covered the outreach on Monday, reports that the exercise involved dental care checks and distribution of free dental items to the beneficiaries.

NAN reports that the programme’s package also included diagnosis, treatment and free dental kits comprising toothpaste, toothbrush, dental flosses, among other dental care products.

Ms Theresa Eyetan, President of the Rotary Club, in a speech at the flag-off of the exercise at St. John’s Primary School, Jos, said that the club was targeting 10 public schools in July as part of activities to celebrate the Rotary Club month.

“We decided to focus on dental therapy to minimise dental challenges in children.

“We also opted to focus on children in public schools because we found that they have more dental challenges as most of them are less privileged,” she said.

Eyetan said that medical outreaches were among the key thematic areas of the club targeted at improving lives in the society.

In his remarks, Dr. Samuel Awosolu, a dentist from Shendam Hospital, who conducted the outreach, commended the Club for the noble gesture.

He explained that children were prone to dental challenges because of their diet and life style, and advised parents to pay more attention to them.

“Our lifestyle and diet are generally responsible for prevalent dental challenges. Children are given processed foods and sweets, which are harmful to their cavities and usually lead to tooth decay.

“The teeth is supposed to last a lifetime and should be properly taken care of. Tooth decay can be prevented through eating healthy diet and brushing the teeth regularly,” he explained.

In her remarks, Mrs. Phibi Gyang, the Head Mistress of the benefiting school, appreciated Rotary Club for the kind gesture.

“Your outreach is for the children, but it has also enlightened some of the teachers on how to care for the teeth. We shall make this a continuous campaign,” she said.

NAN reports that most of the primary and nursery pupils of St. John’s Primary School had holes in their teeth and were attended to. They were also given reports to their parents for further instructions and referrals.

The Naraguta Rotary Club of District 9125 also offered to build the capacity of the teachers of the school, as part of its social responsibility.

dimeji akinloye