On March 20, annually, World Oral Health Day is observed. The 2021-2023 theme,

‘Be Proud Of Your Mouth’, is all about inspiring change by focusing on the importance of oral health for overall health, because good oral health can help you live a longer, healthier life.

The burden of oral health

According to World Health Organization (WHO) and World Dental Federation (FDI), oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people worldwide, whereby 2.3 billion people suffer from tooth decay of permanent teeth while 530 million children suffer from tooth decay of primary teeth.

Also, oral cancers, which include cancers of lips and other parts of the mouth and part of the throat, are some of the 10 most common cancers with 300 to 700 thousand new cases every year.

According to 2018 research carried out by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), which is part of the United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), a branch of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Rwanda is challenged by a high burden of oral diseases.

For instance, nearly two-thirds of study participants had caries experience and over 50 per cent had untreated caries. And those aged above 20, 32.4 percent had substantial oral debris and 60 per cent had calculus.

Oral diseases commonly affect a lot of people worldwide and are the major health concern in many countries, including Rwanda, especially in remote regions where there are inadequate dental services.

Creating awareness

It is in this regard that Rwanda Dental Students Association (RDSA) has decided to help create awareness on proper oral hygiene and prevention practices of oral diseases through educating communities about prevention measures.

RDSA is an independent non-governmental, voluntary organisation running for and by dental students at the University of Rwanda, and was initiated by dental students hoping to provide a sustainable improvement for the oral health awareness for the community at large, especially underprivileged communities whose level of understanding is really low.

Due to Covid-19, the students have turned their focus on using their social media outlets to pass on various information about oral health, and they as well create time to respond to questions from the public.

They also have short video interviews they share on social media with the help of Rwanda Biomedical Center (RBC).

They do this through the media including radio and TV. Apart from this, there is also a dental clinic within the campus where students use the opportunity to educate the patients before and after treatment.

There is also awareness concerning proper oral hygiene and other associated diseases for people to be aware of oral disease consequences, prevention practices and the link between them and overall body health.

Taking care of your oral health

According to experts, oral diseases lead to pain, discomfort, social isolation, and loss of self-confidence, and may also lead to other systemic diseases and vice-versa.

Clement Bonheur Izabayo, an RDSA national student exchange officer, says the most devastating part is that some of these oral diseases are preventable and can be treated in their early stages.

Noting that the problem is that oral hygiene is taken for granted by most people, yet it is key in preventing oral diseases, like tooth decay.

Izabayo says that the only way to avoid oral diseases, is by brushing the teeth regularly; at least twice a day for two to three minutes. 

Also, he says that the use of fluoride, especially in children, is important because it helps erupting teeth and strengthening them, therefore, people should take these measures seriously to prevent any dental issues later in life.

"It’s as well imperative for one to floss once a day because it cleans teeth surfaces where brushing cannot, hence, decreases the chance of getting tooth decay and other surrounding tissue diseases,” he says.

In addition to this, Izabayo says dental check-up at least twice a year is important because during dental check-ups, teeth are cleaned, signs of mouth cancer are checked in the early stages and examination of oral health condition/diseases.

RDSA president Theogene Turatsinze says to maintain oral health, one should stop smoking because it harms the body’s immunity, which leads to oral disease and other systemic diseases, like cancer, and it changes appearance of teeth and causes bad odour.

He further notes that it’s vital for one to consider mouthwash, especially after brushing. Again, limiting sugary food is important because sugary food is a risk factor for teeth decay.  

"Maintaining good oral health is the key prevention of tooth decay and other diseases. People are advised to go for dental check-ups, avoid smoking and follow other measures for overall health,” he says.