L-R: Brand Manager, Pepsodent, Miss Mary Akindola; Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Dr. Emeka Obi; President, Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Emedom Elias; Director/Head of Dentistry Division, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Gloria Uzoigwe and Personal Care Research & Development Head of Africa, Unilever, Mr. Uchenna Nwakamma, during a press conference for the 2025 Pepsodent World Oral Health Day held at Unilever’s corporate head office in Lagos today.
In commemoration of the 2025 World Oral Health Day, Pepsodent, a leading global toothpaste brand, in collaboration with the Nigeria Dental Association has launched its dental health campaign themed “Talk to A Dentist”. The campaign aims to reach 3m Nigerians this year, surpassing 2024 reach of 2.4m.
Speaking during a press conference to herald the commemoration of the 2025 World Oral Health Day, Brand Manager, Pepsodent, Mary Akindola, stressed the need to instill good oral hygiene habits among children by ensuring they brush day and night for at least 2 minutes.
She further disclosed that part of the brand’s mission was to drive behavioural change among Nigerians by ensuring that brushing twice daily becomes a universal habit.
Akindola described good oral health as a fundamental human right for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic status or location.
“According to World Health Organization (WHO), about half of the world’s population suffers from oral health conditions, ranging from mild to severe cases. Yet, many do not take action until their condition becomes critical. One of the most prevalent oral health issues is tooth decay, with an estimated two billion adults silently battling cavities. If left unaddressed, these cases have long-term consequences.
In 2025, our goal is to expand Pepsodent Schools Program to reach 2.7m pupils while dental camps activations are projected to reach 300,000 Nigerians, targeting key regions in the North, West and East,’’ she said.
Speaking further on the plans, she revealed that Pepsodent and Nigerian Dental Association have scheduled dental camp activations across 20 states in Nigeria and the FCT. She explained that the activations, which would afford people from various communities to participate in oral hygiene education, dental screenings and dental treatment, will take place in 5 locations in South-West, 8 locations in the East and 7 locations in the North.
The list of identified states for the activations include Lagos, Ogun, (Oyo)Ibadan, Osun, Ondo, Edo, Delta, Enugu, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Abia, Anambra, Cross River, Kano, Katsina, Kaduna, Borno, Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger and FCT Abuja.
“In addition to the dental camps, Pepsodent will reach 30,000 pupils with oral health education and oral screening, across 50 schools in Lagos, Ibadan, Port Harcourt, Enugu and Abuja, in celebration of the World Oral Health Day”, she said.
In his remarks, Personal Care, Research & Development Head of Africa, Unilever, Uchenna Nwakanma, stated that Unilever, through Pepsodent, remains absolutely committed to boosting oral health awareness and increasing access to dental care globally, as demonstrated by the various programs and partnership embarked upon by the company adding that the goal is to eradicate oral disease for everyone.
According to Nwakanma, the series of activities undertaken by the brand to commemorate World Oral Health Day have reached 640,433 Nigerians in 5 years.
Since inception, the Pepsodent schools program initiatives have reached 9.1m pupils in Nigeria. With the plan to reach 2.7m pupils in 2025, the program is projected to reach 11.8m Nigerians by the end of 2025, surpassing the projection of reaching 10m pupils by 2025.
He noted that prevention remains the most potent and effective strategy in the fight against oral disease, adding that awareness among children was crucial in setting them up for a life free of preventable oral health conditions.
“Unilever is deeply committed to transforming oral health awareness and access to dental care globally. To us, World Oral Health Day is a day to re-emphasize the importance of oral health to overall well-being, and of course encourage call to action from industry stakeholders and the populace to drive good oral care hygiene within their sphere of influence and access professional dental care regularly”, he said.
In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Dr. Elias Emedom, commended Unilever Nigeria Plc for its continuous partnership in promoting oral hygiene in the country.
Emedom further highlighted that the connection between oral health and mental well-being, stressing that limited access to oral healthcare and poor awareness are contributing factors to the rising burden of oral diseases in Nigeria. He reaffirmed the association’s commitment to collaborating with government agencies and healthcare providers to promote oral health and improve overall well-being.
“This year’s FDI theme ‘A healthy mouth is a happy mind’ highlights and seeks to draw attention to the importance of the relationship between oral health and mental wellbeing. Nevertheless, we are confronted with peculiar challenges in promoting oral health in Nigeria. Oral diseases are largely untreated due to limited access to oral healthcare and poor oral health care practices, amidst poor oral health awareness contribute to increase in the burden of oral health diseases. This greatly impacts negatively on our national health, quality of life and productivity,” he said.
Also speaking, the Director/Head of the Dentistry Division at the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr. Gloria Uzoigwe, acknowledged the government’s efforts to improving oral health policy, emphasizing ongoing initiatives to integrate oral health into primary healthcare.
Uzoigwe commended Unilever for its partnership as demonstrating the power of public-private collaboration in achieving common goals.
Furthermore, she extended her heartfelt gratitude to all stakeholders stating that together they will achieve a healthier Nigeria, where every citizen has access to the best oral health care and education.
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