Lack of dental care packages in health insurance has contributed to the declining percentage of people who go for dental checkups across the country, experts have said.
Popular pharmacist, Jimi Agbaje, who spoke during the commissioning of Choice Dental Clinic, GRA Ikeja, said, “People go for medical check-ups, but they don’t do it in dentistry; many people have dental problems but they don’t realise it until it is too late or too expensive to maintain.”
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Agbaje, who is also a former gubernatorial candidate of the PDP in Lagos, said including dental package in the National Health Insurance Scheme would go a long way in encouraging more people to take dental treatment seriously.
Dr. Shade Akiode, a Los Angeles-trained dentist and founder of Choice Dental Clinic, with a branch in Lagos, said the Ikeja branch was built to bring professional dental services closer to the people of the mainland.
According to Dr Shade, people don’t pay attention to the mouth and teeth until there is pain or ache.
She said while there is much global attention to malaria, HIV, AIDS, COVID-19, etc due to high mortality rates, most sicknesses start from the mouth.
She added that the clinic will be offering free oral digital x-rays to anybody who would like to begin their dental journey with the clinic as part of the opening day package.
From Abdullateef Aliyu & Gbenga Adebayo, Lagos
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