Official FDI World Dental Federation Ambassador for World Oral Health Day Dr Louisa Ansong-Satekla has pleaded with parents and guardians to attend to their children's oral health problems with fevered urgency to prevent dire emergencies later on.

Chairing the Ghana Armed Forces' (GAF) Duala Medical Centre's celebration of World Oral Health Day 2023, Dr Ansong-Satekla spoke to Class News' Prince Benjamin on the sidelines highlighting the responsibility of parents regarding child oral health.

“For the parents, we always advise that you bring the kids in early,” she appealed, noting that problems such as “arrangement of their teeth could be treated very early through removable appliances that cost close to nothing.”

Delayed interventions are expensive, she warned.

“When you wait and they are older, then you have to pay more for braces and that’s even on a cosmetic side.

“Sometimes there are other conditions for which interventions could be done earlier but because we report very late, sometimes it leaves us with very few options on what to do.

“So, bring the kids in early,” she reiterated.

The Dental Surgeon and mother of two decried some parental habits that ruin the dentition of babies.

“Do not let your baby go to bed with a bottle in their mouth,” she instructed.

“It increases their chances of developing early childhood caries,” she explained. “That’s another very important thing for most parents to note.”

“If your child suffers any form of [oral] trauma to their mouth, teeth [and such], please bring them,” she urged.

Dr Louisa Ansong-Satekla underscored that: “There is a high chance that when you come in, 30 minutes after the accident, the treatment will be more successful.”

The Duala Medical Centre's celebration of World Oral Health Day took place at Burma Camp, Accra, today, Monday, March 20, 2023.

'Be proud of your mouth' is the theme for the 2023 World Oral Health Day celebration.