To celebrate this year’s World Oral Health Day, Pepsodent Ghana kickstarted the ‘Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late #TalkToADentist’ campaign to sensitize Ghanaians on the need to visit a dentist regularly.

This campaign has been boosted by the offering of free dental screenings across various touchpoints in the country.

The need for this campaign stems from global research conducted by Pepsodent which revealed that in Ghana, 4 out of 5 people have lost all their teeth by the age of 65.

Adults who have lost teeth have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and are at risk of malnutrition, can experience sleep deficiency, be discriminated against, or suffer a loss of self-confidence and anxiety. Having access to a dentist’s advice as soon as a problem arises is the most effective way to avoid serious dental outcomes like tooth loss.

To this end, Pepsodent, driven by the belief that everyone has a right to good oral health, has partnered with the Ghana Dental Association to provide free dental check-ups via dental camps across the country. So far, the Ministry of information, Okaishe Market, Bogoso-Appiate, Haatso-Ecomog, Zenu, New Abirem, Afigya-Kwabre South District, Koforidua, Dunkwa-Offin, Accra Mall, Westhills Mall, Junction Mall, among others, are the locations where such free dental camps have benefited over 100,000 Ghanaians so far.

By giving people the opportunity to be screened by a dentist, Pepsodent hopes to encourage Ghanaians to build long-lasting and good oral care habits – from waiting too long to get treatment, to taking action early when problems are easier to solve. 

Oral Care Category Manager at Unilever Ghana, Joel Boateng says “As part of our brand’s ongoing mission to unleash the power of healthy smiles by eradicating oral disease for everyone, we are providing free dental check-ups via dental screening centres around the country.

"Our World Oral Health Day 2022 campaign, ‘Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late #TalkToADentist’ aims to help raise awareness to ensure Ghanaians understand the importance of acting early, from the moment a problem arises. Through this service, we aim to help Ghanaians take control of their oral health and avoid severe pain, costly and complicated treatments, and ultimately tooth loss.”

President of the Ghana Dental Association, Dr. Paapa Puplampu, says, “People often ignore the warning signs of a problem, such as toothache or gum bleeding, hoping it will go away. However, talking to a dentist at the first sign of a problem can help to fix issues before they become serious."

"Understanding the terrible consequences of waiting, such as severe pain, more difficult and costly treatments, and ultimately tooth loss, is vital to helping people realise why early identification and treatment is so important.”