Due to a lack of availability, more than 6 in 10 Ghanaians (66%) have never seen a dentist. Because oral problems are frequently left untreated due to a lack of expert care, this leads to deteriorating conditions, pain, and other health problems. In Ghana, 4 out of 6 individuals lose all of their teeth by the age of 65, and 1 in 4 people over the age of 5 have untreated caries on their permanent teeth.
As a result, Pepsodent today unveiled its new worldwide campaign, Now Everyone Can #TalkToADentist, in honor of World Oral Health Day 2023. The goal of the campaign is to inspire people to start improving their oral health by scheduling a free Teledental consultation.
In Ghana, there are currently more than 10,000 people for every dentist, despite the World Health Organization's recommendation of one dentist for every 7,500 people. Millions of people have never visited a dentist because of this extreme lack of access. As a result, oral health issues frequently go neglected. Untreated permanent tooth decay impacts the quality of life, well-being, and results in widespread, avoidable pain for 25% of Ghanaians over the age of five. Additionally, there is a negative economic effect because people skip work due to pain and discomfort, which results in a global productivity loss of $161 million. To change this and assist those who have never been to Ghana, Pepsodent Ghana is on a quest.
Pepsodent Ghana aims to provide millions of people with the opportunity to access professional dentist advice for free through its teledentistry service by adopting the philosophy that everyone should have access to high-quality dental health advice and treatment. The service is easily accessible on mobile devices through direct links or USSDs and is made freely available to everyone. It establishes real-time connections between patients and dentists, who can offer professional advice to address oral care issues at home, if feasible, and assist in determining the root causes of a problem. The patient will be offered advice on how to obtain professional assistance at a clinic if at-home care is not appropriate. Anybody can now speak with a doctor.
