A don, Prof. Morenike Ukpong, has advised Nigerians to cultivate good oral hygiene and to screen for oral cancer, whenever they go for general check-up to prevent oral diseases.
Ukpong, a Professor of Paediatric Dentistry at Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, gave the advice in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
She said people should treat their health issues with integrated approach, saying “ If you do general check-up, you should also screen for oral health.
“We should be able to learn to screen for everything so that it (oral cancer) is pick up in time and that it can be prevented.
“We have competent strong ground to do that and we also have competent to train those that are doing primary health to screen.
“We have materials, very cheap way of screening for oral cancer so that it is pick up in time; we see a lot of morbidity associated and sadly, they are always coming late, when it is advanced.
“`You would hear a lot of noise about breast cancer, cervical cancer; I am not sure, I have heard anybody talking about screening for oral cancer.
“When we are talking about screening, let us stop talking segmentally; the same time you do cervical, breast you do oral and every other cancer screening that can happen.
“It is not going to take any extra significant cost, let us start doing it; treating people as a whole rather than a disease entity.’’
Meanwhile, epidemiology and clinical profile of oral cancer in the 2020 National Oral Health Policy shows that the disease is the sixth commonest cancer globally.
It is the most common head and neck cancer, with a low five-year survival rate.
Most oral cancers can be prevented by avoiding risk factors, such as tobacco and alcohol use, excessive sun exposure, sexual acquisition of human papilloma virus, HIV, ingestion of smoked fish, dietary deficiencies and industrial pollution.
Ukpong, however, urged people to cultivate the habit of brushing their teeth very well to prevent oral diseases.
According to her, brushing twice do not reduce the risk of having holes in the teeth while poor oral hygiene increases the risk.
She emphasised on brushing very well, saying “ you can brush twice daily and your oral hygiene is poor; you can do once daily and your oral hygiene is excellent.
“What is important is not how many times you brush but how you do it.
“ If we can emphasis how to clean well whether once or twice, we would have reduce the risk of developing holes in teeth,’’ she said.
The don also advised people to use medium texture tooth brush and to spend between two to three minutes to brush.
She said it would be appropriate to use good brush and to segment once mouth to brush all the corners.
“You segment your mouth, you brush up and down, back and front, in and out, also brush your tongue.
“If you do it in a systematic manner, you will remove the risk of tooth decay,’’ Ukpong said.
