No fewer than 526 school pupils and teachers of All Saints Primary School, Ibadan in Oyo State, have benefitted from a dental outreach.

Rot. Adekunle Are, the President, Rotary Club of Ibadan, Jericho Metro, made this known on Tuesday while addressing the pupils and their teachers at the commencement of the outreach in Ibadan.

It was organised by the club in collaboration with the Department of Child Oral Health, University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan.

Are said that the exercise was part of the rotary’s corporate social responsibility to provide free healthcare services for school children and people in various communities.

“Of the 526 people screened, 474 are pupils of the school, while 52 are members of staff of the school including teachers and non-teaching staff.

“In the course of our screening, 85 people (pupils and staff) were referred to the Child Oral Health in UCH for further medical care of their teeth,” he said.

Are said that the Rotary Club would not relent in providing healthcare services to people in various communities.

In her remarks, Dr Olubukola Popoola, a Paediatric Dentist, advised parents not to allow their children to eat sugary things.

“Sweet things are very harmful to the teeth and parents are most guilty of this.

“Rather than giving their children bottle of water to school, they prefer giving them sweet juice.

“In most cases, the parent does not even supervise the brushing of their children teeth; the resultant effect of this is gingivitis, which is an inflammation of the gums.

“We (UCH) decided to engage in this dental outreach because it is better for us to go out to the schools and assist in redeeming the teeth of these children from damage.

“Once children start having holes in their teeth, other mouth infection will follow.

“It is better for us to prevent dental caries (holes in the teeth) than to take out the teeth after damage,” she said.

The consultant paediatric dentist further advised parents of children referred to UCH to allow them the opportunity of full medical treatment for their decaying teeth.

“This will be at a cost, but children will be charged half of the bill which an adult is expected to pay,” she said. (NAN)

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