This year’s Oral Health Awareness Week was launched yesterday at the Gikondo Orphanage Centre. According to Kigali Health Institute’s head of Dentistry Department, Dr. Richards Muhumuza, dental patients will receive free consultations at the institute during the week.

"In order to sensitize the masses at all levels, we shall provide free dental consultations at KHI for a period of one week in a bid to create awareness of oral health,” Muhumuza said. This week also aims at improving good attitude towards best practices in prevention of oral diseases in the community.

Dr. Muhumuza said that every year people from all walks of life experience unnecessary discomfort, distress and even depression because of health problems with their teeth, gums and mouth.

Dr. Cosmos D. Mallya a dentist and lecturer at KHI said that this year’s oral health awareness campaign will be extended to the rural communities of Burera targeting mainly residents who don’t have access to dental health care.

"The residents of Burera will receive dental treatment free of charge during the whole month of October at their respective selected District Health Centres as part of the KHI-dental department’s community outreach initiative,” Mallya said.

The oral awareness event is part of the institutional and national efforts in encouraging children and their parents to adopt good dental health habits early so that they can avoid major problems later.

The event is being sponsored by the Belgium Government through the Belgium Development Cooperation Agency (CTB/BTC) and other local partners like the KHI-Dental Consultancy Centre, MTN, Commercial Bank of Rwanda (BCR), Africa Air Rescue (AAR) and Rwanda Health Insurance (RAMA).

Ends