Karachi– Dental News in collaboration with Pakistan Dental Association launches its World Oral Health Day 2015 (WOHD 2015) ‘Smile for life’ campaign backed by FDI, JPDA, FDI partner associations and the sponsor in Pakistan Shield Corporation. The theme of 2015 is smile for life which is to remind people everywhere about the importance of looking after their teeth and gums. World Oral Health Day is celebrated throughout the world on 20th March and in Pakistan this will be the 5th year running where Shield Corporation as part of their CSR activities will be sponsoring the mega event being held in over 36 dental college hospitals in 15 cities across Pakistan. It is an international day to celebrate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of looking after oral hygiene to everyone old and young. The activities kick off with school programmes to create awareness amongst children followed by a press conference by Pakistan Dental Association’s officials to discuss about the prevailing oral health status in Pakistan. The free checkup will commence from 19th and 20th of March with an aim to benefit maximum number of patients through this activity. It is estimated that over 90% of the world’s population will suffer some form of dental disease in their lifetime but many of these can easily be treated or prevented with a good oral care routine. The WOHD 2015 ‘Smile for life’ is supplemented by the call to action ‘It’s time to act’. The activity is taking place across Pakistan Karachi, Hyderabad, Mirpur Khas, Larkana, Rahim Yar Kha, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Abbottabad, Peshawar and Quetta where institutions are offering free OPD for 19th and 20th March. Incidence of Oral Cancer is the third biggest cancer in Pakistan and needs urgent attention and activities like these help identifying the disease at an early stage. Talking about the theme of this year’s WOHD FDI President Dr Tin Chun Wong commented: “The ‘Smile for life’ campaign reminds us that oral disease can be prevented by practising good oral hygiene throughout life, from childhood to mature adulthood. After tripling the number of countries celebrating World Oral Health Day between and 2013 and 2014, we are now looking to reach an even larger audience in even more countries as well as online.” Dental News which has spearheaded and initiated the World Oral Health Day in Pakistan with its sponsor Shield Corporation since 2010 has been working tirelessly to create oral health awareness throughout Pakistan with continued support from dental institutions where OPDs are free to mark the day.
