At last year’s FDI Annual World Dental Congress, it was announced that Saudi Arabia was joining the Partnership network. For the first time in its history, the Saudi Dental Society developed a school-based oral health programme. This runs alongside a national public oral health campaign for the prevention of dental caries with a particular focus on primary school children.

The project has three phases:

1. Providing Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) in schools to reduce the level of acute dental decay and untreated caries.

2. Teaching children about the correct tooth brushing technique through live demonstrations.

3. Educating children, their parents, and teachers about the importance of regular tooth brushing with a fluoride containing toothpaste as well as the significance of healthy eating and regular dental controls.

Each school receives three visits from dental health workers. The first visit involves the preparation, assessment of children with dental pain and the organisation of consent forms for parents with children requiring dental treatment. The subsequent visits concentrate on treatment and oral hygiene instruction. Oral health materials are also distributed to parents and teachers.

Local health care providers work closely with the team in the planning and implementation of school visits. Other team members provide treatment, demonstrate oral hygiene techniques and distribute toothbrushes and toothpaste. Just a few months after the launch, in early 2008, the project is already up and running in primary schools and plans further expansion into higher school grades. The project has the full support of the Ministries of Health and Education in Saudi Arabia.

Finland is the “newest” country to join the Live.Learn.Laugh. Partnership.

The country has varying levels of oral health education. In some areas, local dentists and hygienists visit the different age groups to educate them about all aspects of oral health. For the 13-15 age group, health education has only recently been added to the curriculum. The subject covers general health and includes oral health.

As a new study subject, a gap in the process was identified. It became apparent that teachers had no written oral health materials. As a result, in Eastern Finland, a teacher and a hygienist joined forces to develop a manual to meet this need. The manual was tested in several pilot sites and was acknowledged as a resounding success.

In order to carry out the project nationally, the Finnish Dental Association brought their expertise to help publish over 2,500 copies for schools. The Live.Learn.Laugh. Partnership sponsors the manual and receives full acknowledgement in the book’s preface. After the project roll-out, a detailed analysis of the manual’s usage will be undertaken by the Finnish Dental Association in collaboration with the FDI and Unilever.

In 2006/2007, with Partnership funding, the Kenyan Dental Association started a project to provide oral health care and education for abandoned, physically and mentally challenged children and orphans across rural areas of Kenya. In the first year, the project ran in four children’s homes and special schools: Mama Ngina, Machakos, Wamunyu Special School and the Rescue Dada Home.

Working together, Unilever and the Kenyan Dental Association developed educational materials to help drive understanding of the importance of oral health.

The project’s first phase involved individual and group oral health education sessions, a diet analysis and oral examinations. For the treatment phase, the project accessed some of Kenya’s best dental facilities including those at the University of Nairobi. New for these children was the creation of detailed dental records, which will be used for future examinations and treatments. The project has helped treat around 400 children with special needs. It will continue to monitor their oral health over time, encouraging them to maintain good oral hygiene.

In January 2008, the FDI, Unilever’s Pepsodent brand and the Indian Dental Association became local partners and unveiled a new project to improve oral health across India. It was launched at the 61st National Dental Congress with 4,500 Indian dental professionals in attendance.

Paul Wilson, the FDI Events Director attended the launch, providing an overview of the global Partnership. Priya Nair, Category Head of Oral Care and Deodorants, Hindustan Unilever, also presented and demonstrated Unilever’s commitment to making a sustainable difference in communities across India. She highlighted Pepsodent’s successful 2006 Oral Health Improvement Programme which educated 1.6 million children about night-brushing.

Oral health has become a serious concern in India particularly for children. Studies reveal that 83 percent of 5-year olds are affected by dental caries. The project is therefore committed to making a major contribution to improving oral health and hygiene standards across India. The project will build on existing activities undertaken by Pepsodent and the Indian Dental Association, focusing on increasing awareness of good oral habits.

Dr Habib Benzian, FDI Development & Public Health Manager, hbenzian@fdiworldental.org

Djerdana (Gina) Ivosevic, FDI Projects Coordinator, divosevic@fdiworldental.org

Jon Crail, FDI Development & Public Health Coordinator, jcrail@fdiworldental.org

Dr Analia Mendez, Unilever Oral Care Head of Oral Health Programmes & Partnerships,
Analia.Mendez@unilever.com

Pauline Carter, Unilever Oral Care Expertise & Authority Global Events Manager,
Pauline.Carter@unilever.com

Dr Arathi Rao, Unilever Oral Care Global Expertise & Authority Marketing Manager,
Arathi.Rao@unilever.com

For feedback, suggestions and further information about the Partnership, please email Djerdana (Gina) Ivosevic, Projects Coordinator, divosevic@fdiworldental.org or visit Live.Learn.Laugh. online.