From Inusa Musah
ServAid, a Tema-based consultancy and business services institution, has taken the pupils and students of the Tema State School for the Deaf through proper oral dental hygiene, in order to help them take good care of their dentition.
The consultancy firm engaged the expertise of Dr. Nana Kwame Amponsah, Dental Surgeon at the Tema General Hospital (TGH), and through a sign language translator, the students were given reasons why they ought to brush their teeth two times daily—from bed and before bed.
Proper brushing of the teeth, the students were told, prevents bad breadth and keeps the teeth and gums strong and healthy. Dr. Agyemang explained that brushing the teeth in the night should be the last thing one has to do before going to bed, so that the micro-organisms that are active in the mouth while one is asleep do not become active to feed on the gums and eventually destroy the teeth.
He further demonstrated how the toothbrush should be applied for proper teeth brushing, advising that vigorously moving the toothbrush from the left to the right is an improper brushing movement. The TGH Dental Surgeon said that the toothbrush should move up and down the outer part of the teeth and gum, “but on the molars and premolars, you can vigorously move the toothbrush left and right.”
He encouraged the students to gargle the mouth thoroughly to remove food particles that the toothbrush could not remove during brushing. Continuing, he encouraged the use of toothbrushes with soft bristles, adding that toothbrushes should be changed after every quarter of the year. Brushing the teeth and gums at the regular times, he advised, prevents gum bleeding, inflammation, tumors or cancer when the gums swell up, and dental caries (kaka).
After the 45-minute health talk and demonstrations, ServAid distributed toothpaste and toothbrushes to all the pupils and students, who, in turn, could not hide their appreciation and immense gratitude for the benevolence of the consultancy firm. Madam Barbara Ennin, Headmistress of the school, expressed her gratitude to ServAid for always being at their beck and call.
She mentioned how ServAid, with its partners, had assisted the school with plastic chairs, homecare products, toiletries, sanitisers and mini water reservoirs for hand washing. “You have continued to keep your promises to us, and for that, we are most grateful as a school. Let’s keep seeing more of ServAid, because, in you, our pupils and students have confidence that you will not fail them,” the Headmistress appealed.
Interacting with Dr. Nana Kwame Amponsah after the programme, he told The Chronicle that dental health is costly, thus the need for the government to improve upon the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to capture part of the cost patients will have to pay at the hospitals for dental health. He, however, encouraged that the teeth be kept strong and healthy by avoiding very hot or cold foods in addition to regular brushing.
Commending Unilever Ghana for the toothbrushes and toothpastes that were distributed to the pupils and students of the Tema State School for the Deaf, Mr. Sam Dontoh, General Manager of ServAid, told The Chronicle that plans were advanced to renovate the defunct lavatory of the school.
The lavatory, for both sexes of pupils and students, has been braced with wood for fear that it may cave in due to how weak the building had become.
Though the lavatory—eight-seater for both sexes—has been out of use for several terms, the school has a six-seater lavatory that is presently being shared by both the school children and staff—teaching and non-teaching. Mr. Dontoh said the Nyaho Medical Center and Red Sea Maritime Services are partnering ServAid to renovate the defunct toilet.
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