Workshop on oral health care holds in Calabar

Description:

A one-day capacity building workshop for children on Dental Awareness and Oral Hygiene has been held in Calabar, Cross River State.

The workshop which was organized by Dental and Maxillofacial Department of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH) in collaboration with Calabar South Local Government Council, featured lectures and personal examination of the teeth of the housemates of the Destiny Child Center (DCC) who were the direct beneficiaries of the workshop.

Speaking at the occasion, the initiator of the Destiny Child Center (A home for vulnerable and homeless children), Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke, wife of the Governor of Cross River State, noted that the importance of dental health care cannot be overemphasized considering the fact that cleanliness is next to Godliness.

She advised the children at DCC to take the workshop seriously and embrace all the rules and regulations of teeth brushing including general body care and emphasized the need not to exchange tooth brushes with any body as it causes infection.

She commended the facilitator of the workshop, Dr Chioma Gershom Bassey, the consultant at UCTH Dr Godwin Bassey and his team of Doctors for their efforts in exposing the children to best practices on dental care.

Mrs. Imoke, called for an extension of this kind of service to enlighten women and mothers to further help spread the knowledge on dental health care hygiene.

The Governor’s wife also called on the general manager of CRBC to design a phone in programme that would enlighten the general public on clean oral hygiene.

She thanked the Chairman of Calabar South Local Government Council, Engr. Andem Ekpo Bassey, for his laudable support and fatherly role to the children at Destiny Child Center (DCC).

Speaking at the occasion, the facilitator, of the workshop Chioma Gershom Bassey explained that the occasion was to bridge the gap by bringing oral health education to schools and motherless children as to expose them to proper management of their teeth.

Dr. Gershom Bassey, disclosed that they will always partner with Her Excellency to provide the necessary oral health care services to children in the State and commended Mrs. Imoke for her outstanding work in providing an enabling environment and proper care to vulnerable children in Cross River State.

In his speech, a consultant in the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), Dr. Godwin Bassey, disclosed that nine out of every ten persons have dental problems and assured that the hospital will subsidize the cost of any serious referral as the Chairman of Calabar South has promised to foot the bills for any such cases.

On his part, the Chairman, Calabar South Local Government Council, Engr. Andem Ekpo Bassey, said that so many people take dental care for granted and expressed delight that the programme was kicked off in Calabar South and promised to step the programme down to primary school level.

The Chairman, therefore called for the reintroduction of Oral Hygiene and civic education in school curriculum in the State and commended the initiator of asFac (a State Fit for a Child), on the legacy she has established so far in catering for the less privileged.

Speaking, the Director Public Health/Mother and Child, of asFac, Dr. Regina Ejemot Nwadiaro, who gave a short history of the center, said so far the center houses about 80 children and was established in October, 2009. She used the opportunity to call on other organizations and well meaning Nigerians to identify with the DCC programme of Mrs. Imoke.

In her vote of thanks, the commissioner for Social Welfare and Community Development, Mrs. Edak Iwuchukwu, called on the organizers of the workshop to extend a similar workshop to the children of Bakassi and pointed out that the workshop was a very rewarding experience as it has exposed those present to better ways of caring for their teeth. She commended the Governor’s wife for her DCC vision, she also thanked Engr. Andem Ekpo Bassey and the team of Doctors on Dental Health Care Awareness for the workshop.

The occasion featured presentation of toothbrushes, paste, cups and mouth wash to the children. As Easter card was also presented to Mrs. Obioma Liyel Imoke by the children of DCC as a show of appreciation.