In commemoration of the 2024 World Oral Health Day, Pepsodent has said it will educate 10 million children on oral care by 2025 in schools and communities across Lagos.

Pepsodent, a product of Unilever, Nigeria,  initiated a dental health campaign named, ‘Talk to a dentist’ in collaboration with the Nigerian Dental Association to educate schoolchildren.

 Marketing Head, Beauty & Well-Being and Personal Care, Unilever Nigeria, Oiza Gyang, expressed that the campaign’s motive was to promote good oral health hygiene among children, Unilever was committed to combatting poor oral health care in Nigeria.

Gyang highlighted the link between oral care diseases and absenteeism among school pupils, underlining Pepsodent’s efforts to reverse this trend through targeted initiatives.

In her welcome remarks, Category Manager, Oral Care at Unilever Nigeria, Eva Ogudu, outlined the campaign’s objectives to achieve zero cavities through consistent twice-daily brushing with a fluoride toothpaste like Pepsodent and regular dental check-ups.

She emphasised the initiative’s broader goal of democratising access to dental care, including free dental camps to eradicate oral diseases.

Pepsodent’s ‘Talk to a dentist’ campaign was launched three years ago in collaboration with The Nigerian Dental Association to promote oral health education by sensitising Nigerians on the importance of visiting a dentist.

“In 2022 alone, we were able to reach one million children. In 2023, we took the awareness campaign a notch higher as the brand, in collaboration with NDA, reached two million children. Besides, we also provided free dental health checks for 50,000 Nigerians. In addition, we also reached 30 million Nigerians indirectly through the distribution of Pepsodent to various households,” Ogudu said.

Also speaking, Head, Corporate Affairs and Sustainable Business,  Unilever Nigeria, Godfrey Adejumoh, noted that the ‘Talk to a dentist’ campaign embarked upon by Pepsodent remained one of the numerous initiatives outlined by Unilever Nigeria to improve people’s health, confidence, and well-being. Adejumoh reiterated the company’s commitment to using its business to become a force for good in society.

On his part, Personal Care, Research & Development Head, Unilever Africa, Uchenna Nwakamma, explained that the Pepsodent brand was the preferred toothpaste for driving oral health care agenda because of its patented formulation.

In his remarks, the President of the Nigerian Dental Association, Dr Tope Adeyemi, disclosed that about 90 per cent of the world’s population were more likely to suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime.