The Orile Agege General Hospital (OAGH), in collaboration with Lagos State Education District I, Agege, recently screened 2500 students from schools under the District as part of events marking the Y2023 World Oral Health Day held at the Government Senior College Hall, Agege.
In his address at the event, Commissioner II, Lagos State Health Service Commission, Dr. Mobolaji Olukoya said over 51 million school hours are lost annually in the USA to dental illness and other medical conditions.
These diseases, he said, are preventable if school authorities compel students to carry out a comprehensive medical examination at both junior and senior entry levels, adding that teachers must also be part of the initiative as they are the closest to the children from day-to-day interaction.
He further stated that the Oral Health promotion message of the programme could be impacted and reinforced throughout the most influential stages of a child’s life leading to the development of psychomotor and cognitive skills at school.
The Medical Director of the Orile Agege General Hospital, Dr. Sola Pitan, said the programme’s purpose is to imbibe the spirit of a power health check and general wellness in all our children.
“For us in Orile Agege, it is part of our strategic objective to take health drawbacks to the community. We have several community health initiatives that we organise periodically to address this issue.
The School Oral Health programme is one of them”, he said.
Also speaking, the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary Education District I, Mr. Bashir Adebowale, represented by the Director of Schools Administration, Mr Oluyemi Adesina, commended Orile Agege General Hospital and its team, especially the Dental Department on the success of the programme.
He, however, implored the students to always confide in their teachers whenever they are suffering from one ailment or the other for quick and prompt medical care.
Earlier, the Head of the Dental Department, Orile Agege General Hospital, Dr. Babajide Adeniji, said the initiative was designed to educate the students on the broad subject of dentistry as well as to sensitise them on the need for oral/dental health.
He enjoined students and adults to wash their teeth twice a day and have a routine dental check-up twice a year for better oral health.
