CLOSE-UP, LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT, NDA, HEIT CELEBRATE WORLD ORAL HEALTH DAY . . . KICK-OFF NEW WORLD RECORD TOOTH BRUSHING CHALLENGE

Leading oral care brand, Close-Up Toothpaste in partnership with Lagos State government, Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), HEIT Solutions, Vas2Net & Core Media has celebrated the World Oral Health Day to introduce the World Record Tooth Brushing Challenge and sensitise the public on the importance of proper oral care.

Speaking at the event, which held at Teslim Balogun Stadium, Lagos, Oral Close-Up Category Manager, Mrs. Vivian Ihaza said Close Up and its partners intend to nurture healthier teeth and gums amongst communities and families across the country. According to her, “Close Up will support the event where 300,000 students, at the same time in Lagos State will take part in a World Record Tooth brushing Challenge to break the Guinness Book of Records earlier set by India”.  The latest Guinness Book of Records on the event held by India brought together 176,000 people to brush their teeth at the same time.

The Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina emphasised, that tooth brushing is an essential part of our health. She said, the way we brush our teeth has been trivialized to the point that over the years as we get older we build germs, we build bacteria and we build diseases. According to her “people tend to take the mouth for granted but unfortunately, the mouth is actually one of the passages into the body from where we take nourishment and other things”.

The World Oral Health Day is celebrated on the 20th of March every year to remind the public of the important role healthy mouth, gum and teeth play in the overall health of an individual. The theme for this year’s World Oral Health Day is “Healthy Teeth for Healthy Life”. The Close-Up Brand Manager, Mr. Dexter Adeola said that, “One of the cheapest ways to ensure proper care of the mouth is to ensure brushing twice a day. Over the next couple of days, we and our partners will be calling on Nigerians to imbibe the habit of brushing day and night. After the campaign, we intend to measure how well the Oral Health of Nigerians would have improved as a result of this habit.’’

In his remarks at the ceremony, the representative of the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), Lagos State Chapter, Dr Ogundana said that the association is glad to partner Close Up on the initiative as it offers an opportunity to once again raise awareness on the importance of dental health, as most of the diseases that eventually become chronic in the body have been found to have originated from the mouth.

Dr Bakare Lawal, Project Lead and Founder of HEIT Solutions in his speech at the ceremony stated that a healthier tooth is linked to healthier life. According to him, the World Record Challenge is an initiative borne out of the need to inculcate a healthy oral care in Nigeria. Dr Lawal commended Close Up, Lagos State Government, NDA, Vas2Nets & Core Media for the partnership with HEIT Solutions in the bide to put Nigeria in the world map positively, he urged other organizations to take a cue from the initiative.

Dexter Adeola called on Nigerians to join the campaign to break a world record by counting down daily until the 23^rd of May when the Actual feat with 300,000 children will hold in Lagos state. On that Day Nigerians will be expected to Brush twice a day to support the cause and join in the campaign. He said “The CloseUp brand has remained innovative and has remained a Nigerian trusted brand. We will remain committed to ensure Nigerians get the best to maintain Proper Oral Health.