DR. Funke Olaniyan, of the Tema General Hospital has advised Ghanaians "to visit the dentist once every six months to have a thorough examination of their teeth to prevent tooth decay".

She said even though a daily brushing of the teeth was good, there were certain areas of the teeth that the brush could not reach and "dentists use special instruments to remove piled up food deposits that would cause serious decay if left unclean".
She gave the advice at an oral hygiene seminar for students of Mexico Junior Secondary School, here.

The seminar is part of an ongoing programme organised by the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) in collaboration with Unilever Ghana and the Ministry of Health to educate members of the public about the dangers of teeth decay.

Dr. Olaniyan also advised the participants to brush their teeth twice daily with soft brushes and fluoride based tooth paste, one in the morning and the last thing before retiring to bed at night.

She explained that "at night saliva flow in the mouth reduces, and the bacteria in the mouth feed on leftover food substances in the mouth and in the process deposit acid which affects the enamel (teeth)".

To this end, Dr Olaniyan advised that the tooth should be brushed away from the gum to prevent cuts, saying that "to prevent this from happening, we should brush our teeth before we go to sleep".

Mr. Thepphilus Amewu, programme officer of NCCE, said the seminar was necessitated by the high rate of tooth decay and gum infection among school children in the municipality.

He said if that problem was not treated well it leads to the giving off of bad breath by sufferers and seriously affects their social life.

Source: The Ghanaian Times