Oral health programme begins

Accra (Greater Accra Region) 6 Oct. 1998 Dr Nii Otu Nartey, deputy dean of the University of Ghana Medical school, said curative dental care is very expensive. Preventive action should therefore be taken to cut down on the huge cost in dental care .

He said this, can be possible by taking the "necessary actions in the communities through awareness creation about some unhealthy oral health practices."

Dr Nartey was addressing an oral health training programme for selected nurses and health workers drawn from Ablekuma Sub-Metro district in Accra . It is aimed, among other things, at enhancing the knowledge of the nurses to help in the promotion of good oral hygiene among school children and encouragement of the adoption of effective oral hygiene measures in the community.

Dr Nartey noted that dentistry has not expanded rapidly in the country as compared to other branches of medicine because of lack of an effective national policy.

He said the high cost of dental equipment which makes investment difficult for the ministry of health in that area also accounts for the slow expansion of dentistry.

Dr Nartey said there is a need to prioritise oral health services and integrate the treatment of oral diseases into the health care delivery system along with other diseases at all levels. GRi