Pupils of St Paul Methodist School taking lessons on how to brush their teeth
UNILEVER GHANA Foundation has held a day’s free oral health screening exercise for pupils of the St Paul Methodist School at Community One, Tema, to offer them the opportunity to know their dental health status.
It was organised to promote good oral hygiene among pupils. The exercise took care of the junior high school (JHS) department of the school.
Being done under the Unilever brand called Pepsodent, it is in line with its corporate social responsibility which allows it to reach out to communities as part of the Unilever Ghana Sustainability Living Plan.
In all, more than 500 students from JHS 1, 2 and 3, who were given tooth care education, were screened and given toothbrushes and Pepsodent toothpastes to support their education.
Some of the pupils, who were not in good dental health conditions, were advised on what to do and others recommended to see a dentist for further management.
Speaking with DAILY GUIDE after the screening, Dr Jacob Safo, a dentist at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra, who educated the pupils on personal hygiene practices and behavioural change, demonstrated to them how best to brush their teeth properly. According to him, as part of the outreach, the medical team would educate the pupils on their eating habit and how to take good care of the teeth.
He said it was important parents ensured there is a limit on the intake of sweets by their children, urging them to “buy the food for them instead of giving them the money because if you give them the money, they will buy the sweets in your absence.”
Cynthia Harim Yaro, Internal Communication Director of Unilever Ghana, said pointed out that the outreach would be done throughout the country, targeting pupils in various schools.
“In order to serve that purpose of giving back to the communities in which we operate, it is our core value and we have embarked on outreach programmes and provision of other services over the years and we are committed to continuing that tradition,” she added.
The Headmaster of St Paul Methodist School, Sylvester Asiedu, expressed his appreciation to Unilever Ghana and promised to ensure teachers monitored the eating habits of their students.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema