By Love Wilhelmina Abanonave
Dental surgeon and FDI Global Ambassador for World Oral Health Day, Dr. Louisa Satekla has emphasized the need for improved oral healthcare in Ghana, particularly in rural areas.
According to Dr. Satekla, the majority of dentists in Ghana are concentrated in urban cities like Accra and Kumasi, leaving rural villages without access to dental care. ‘’Most dentists are found in the main cities like Accra and Kumasi so we’re training more dentists and encouraging them to go into the hinterlands’’, she reiterated.
Dr. Satekla stressed on the GTV breakfast show, the importance of early detection of oral cancer and encouraged people not to wait until they experience pain before visiting a dentist. She also advised individuals to practice good oral hygiene by brushing their teeth twice daily and flossing regularly.
To promote oral health awareness, Dr. Satekla advocated for the introduction of oral health education into the national curriculum, enabling children to learn about the importance of oral health from a young age. ‘’We’re pushing for more initiatives like the introduction of oral health education into our national curriculum so our children can be intentional about their oral health’’, Dr. Satekla mentioned.
This initiative aims to encourage intentional oral health practices among children. She further highlighted that they try to sound the alarm every year and have gone beyond waiting till the month of March to create awareness.
