WORLD ORAL HEALTH DAY’19- 3.6 million smiles spread across Pakistan!

The movement for oral care awareness probed and penetrated many diverse population groups. Various programs aimed at oral care consciousness were conducted as part of their WOHD’19 campaign.

The official theme of the 2019 World Oral Health Day (WOHD) campaign was, ‘Say Ahh: Act on Mouth Health’. The scheme for this year was to ‘motivate people to take action about their mouth health.’

To realize these objectives, several resources were deployed to awaken and foster the sense of care for oral health among masses. Through different contests and polls people were educated on the various facts and concerns regarding oral care; efforts were contributed toward raising awareness about the weightiness of mouth problems in order to push the masses to consider the status of their oral health. People were encouraged to immediately report any dental or oral problem, or even visit a dentist for a routine checkup.

On March 20^th, Dental News, with sponsor Shield, erected kiosks at 50 dental colleges/hospitals/healthcare centers, in 16 different cities across Pakistan. Here the dental OPDs ran all day, free of cost, on WOHD, to maximize dental care benefit for the masses. The visiting patients were dealt with compassionately, they were keenly educated about their oral health by the dental professionals present at the camp, and screened for any dental or oral ailment, and were provided the needed treatment. Correct brushing techniques were demonstrated and basic oral hygiene guidelines were shared. Free samples were also be provided to the visitors. The Pakistani dental community rose as one to contribute passionately to the selfless cause of restoring the smiles of adults and children alike.

 

 

An outreach programme was also carried out by Liaquatian’s Welfare Society (LWS) BDS Chapter at Matyari School, in the Hyderabad district, Sindh, for underprivileged students and staff.

To mark the day, poster competitions on various oral care subjects were especially conducted in dental institutes on WOHD. This academic activity was organized by institutes namely Multan Medical and Dental College, Multan; Bibi Asfa Dental College, Larkana; Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry, SIOHS, Jinnah University, Karachi; HBS Dental College, Islamabad; and Peshawar Dental College, Peshawar.

Several institutes organized seminars for their students, trainees and faculties on this day. These seminars dealt with topics ranging from community dentistry to treatment and management. Among colleges to hold seminars were Baqai Dental College, Karachi; Bibi Asfa Dental College, Larkana; Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry, Karachi; HBS Dental College, Islamabad; Peshawar Dental College, Peshawar; and CMH Dental Hospital, Lahore.

‘Walk a Cause’ oral health awareness marches were organized by several partner institutes to amplify the effect of the campaign. Institutes to hold awareness marches included Bibi Asfa Dental College, Larkana; Karachi Medical and Dental College, Karachi; HBS Dental College, Islamabad; Bhatai Dental College, Mirpurkhas; Bolan Dental College, Quetta; Dental Section, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences, Jamshoroo; Peshawar Dental College, Peshawar.

The aforementioned activities scored a physical reach of 20,000 individuals!

Dental News commenced its engagement campaign well ahead of World Oral Health Day. It kept the general public engaged; as well as involved individuals from the dental fraternity that stepped forward to passionately participate in this movement toward creating healthier smiles.

Content comprising facts, tips and tricks, and general knowledge about the mouth and all that is within, was shared on social media. Posts with a dash of humour were also published to attract greater attention. These educational posts were consistently made on three different social media platform.

As part of its WOHD campaign, DN invited its followers and subscribers to send in their queries in regards to their oral health. These questions were answered by a Dr Hira M. Khan in a ‘Live Q&A Session’ that was aired on Facebook page.

Quiz posts were posted on social media platforms asking people basic oral hygiene/oral care questions with the intention of bringing their attention to oral health matters that are elementary, yet either forgotten or barely thought of. Common questions about brushing techniques, oral hygiene routine and timetable, and oral care tools are being asked to raise concern among masses. The intention is it to transform the cultivated concern and thoughts into action.

To educate people about the significance of a beautiful and healthy smile, a “Smile & Win” selfie competition was also launched, wherein the participants were required to click a picture, smiling brightly, with a Shield toothbrush and toothpaste in their hands; the picture then had to be posted on the participant’s social media.

One winner was selected, via lucky draw, from the participants of each competition. The winners received exciting gift hampers at the end of the WOHD campaign.

The dental community was also stirred to partake in the campaign via contributing motivational blogs and messages targeting the masses. Video messages of several renowned dental surgeons of Pakistan were recorded with educational content based on this year’s WOHD theme. Apart from the celebrated dentists of our country, which included the President of Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi- a dentist and one of the chief architect of WOHD; President PDA; and several heads of institutions, WOHD public service messages were received from many other dental practitioners, teachers, students, and its followers on social media.

The digital campaign bagged 3.6 Million impressions!

Dental News, with the combined efforts of all the contributors, including DTI Pakistan, was able to realize the goals and objectives of WOHD'19 campaign, which were mainly targeted toward creating oral care awareness among masses, and ensuring their wellbeing. Our impressive scores and substantial statistics speak clearly of our success and achievement of the desired mark in ‘Oral Care Awareness’.

The well-tailored campaign that was as per the guidelines of the FDI received tremendous recognition and engagement. The three groups of target audiences were effectually addressed; children and adults through ‘school outreach programmes’ and ‘awareness & engagement campaigns’ for parents/adults via social media and dental camps; thirdly, the government and policy makers were stimulated through ‘Walk a Cause’ marches.

World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is a far-reaching global oral health campaign. It is a platform for the public, oral health community, and policymakers to help reduce the overall oral disease burden.

Dental News and DTI Pakistan will continue to strive for the recognition of oral health as a vital part of overall wellbeing, and remain committed to working towards better oral health for all.