Rwanda dental students association(RDSA) in collaboration with international association of dental students and other partners prepared an international voluntary projects named "SEKA IVP(International voluntary project) with the aim of promoting oral health education,treatments in school and romote area where dental treatments are so hard to get

It is in that regards RDSA commenced the treatments activities and oral health education at GIKOMERO Health center where around 247 patients were treated by  dentists with help of local and international participants.

The campaign was also carried out in and Bugesera District, where school-going children and teachers were taken through oral health education, promotion, and screening of dental caries.

The children were taken through oral hygiene routines. Photos/Courtesy

In addition to this, the children were provided with toothpaste and brushes as well as treatment for those who needed it after screening.

Understanding tooth decay

According to experts, tooth decay is a very common disease seen in all age groups. 

For instance, in some schools in Bugesera, over 600 children were screened for two days and about 65 per cent of the children had tooth decay.

Dr Thomas B Lee, a dental surgeon and co-founder and CEO of ‘His Hands on Africa’, says as the country grows in its financial capacity and consumes more and more processed foods with sugar, the number of people with decay will continue to rise. 

He points out that it’s ideal to understand that tooth decay is normally brought about when bacteria in our mouth is not cleaned daily with proper oral hygiene.

Also, in addition to what brings about tooth decay, he says it’s due to consuming a diet which is high sugar. 

"The risk of tooth decay rises with increase in sugar in our diet or starchy foods, drinks and poor oral hygiene. Also, some people have higher risk of tooth decay including those who don’t have enough saliva due to medicines or certain diseases,” he says.

Dr Alex Ndayisenga, a dental surgeon at ADEPR Nyamata Hospital, says in most cases tooth decay is a disease that affects the teeth caused by many factors including the bacteria in the mouth, sugar and poor oral hygiene.

He explains that this is seen as a hole in the teeth associated with colour change and most of the time pain.

"Tooth decay most of the time is more common in children because they don’t brush well regularly, this leads to their teeth getting decayed easily,” Dr Ndayisenga observes.

He also notes that the reason why tooth decay is more common in children than adults is that they tend to consume drinks and food more frequently with a lot of sugar.

How to go about it

Valentina Tezak, a student from Slovenia studying dentistry, says everyone should understand that the tooth has five surfaces where one has to clean the entire tooth.

She says one has to brush thoroughly in between two teeth with the right dental floss, brushing at least for two minutes, two times a day.

"It’s important to brush your teeth in the evening before you go to bed because there is less saliva during the night flowing in the mouth, and we all know that saliva is protective for the teeth,” she adds.

If left untreated, Dr Ndayisenga says tooth decay can lead to major complications like severe infections and even death in some circumstances.

To avoid this, he advises that parents should take care of their children’s teeth by supervising them while brushing and reducing the sugary snacks they give to their children.

Dr Lee on the other hand says prevention is very important, and that the tooth decay can be stopped with preventive education, good oral hygiene and preventive dental treatment such as fluoride treatment and dental pit and fissure sealants (special materials used by dentists to seal off pits and fissures from the oral environment). Also, he notes that a regular visit to the dental clinic is essential.

"From my experience, I have seen many children who have to have teeth removed because of advanced stages of decay. This causes permanent changes in their mouth which causes problems with speech, self-esteem from poor aesthetics, and difficulty eating,” he says.

Regarding impact, he says this has a lifelong effect on the general health and quality of life.  

"As experts, it’s our role to pay a visit to schools and educate our children on prevention and early intervention of dental decay, so that they can live healthy lives and not experience such harm from oral disease,” he adds.