TZW
At the gathering to mark the day, Minister of Health, Mr Hamad Rashid Mohamed, appealed to people to keep their mouth healthy by avoiding drinks and foods that may lead to infections. “It is unfortunate that Zanzibar faces shortage of qualified dentists, facilities and most of our health centres lack dental sections. However, the challenges should not be the pretext of being reckless in health,” said Mr Mohamed.
He told the gathering before visiting the schools that this year’s WOHD theme: ‘Say Ahh: Think Mouth, Think Health’, encourage people to connect their oral health and general health and well-being. It is estimated that 90 per cent of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime and many of them can be avoided with increased governmental, health association and society support and funding for prevention, detection and treatment programmes.
Dr Feroz Jaffarji, from ‘Health Improvement Project Zanzibar (HIPZ)’, which is a UK-based charity that is implementing sustainable improvements to healthcare in Zanzibar, thanked the government collaboration in improving health in the islands.
The gathering was followed by the visit by the Minister of Health and students from Austria led by Dr Danjel Domic to four schools: Rahaleo, Mwembeshauri, Kiembesamaki A and B, where students were encouraged to keep their mouth healthy.
The WOHD 2018 campaign aims at educating people that keeping the healthy mouth is crucial to keep it functioning correctly and for maintaining overall health and quality of life. It is said that mouth diseases, including cancer are attributed to use of tobacco products.
The campaign highlights the link between certain oral diseases and non communicable diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and some cancers, raising awareness on common risk factors and promoting good oral hygiene habits. The WOHD is celebrated every year on March 20 and it is a global day to celebrate the benefits of healthy mouth and promote global awareness on issues related to oral health and importance of oral hygiene