Lebanese Dental Association and Colgate Collaboration

The prevalence of dental caries is high among children in Lebanon according to the most recent researches:
- Dental caries in children aged 6 to 8 years reportedly stood at 88%, with 86% having untreated primary teeth. 
- 80% of children aged 12 years, who are in the permanent dentition phase, have experienced caries with 75% of the children in the mentioned age group have untreated permanent teeth. 
- The situation worsens in the 15 year-old children who had 90% caries history with 81% untreated permanent teeth.

Many Lebanese would only visit dentists when in pain or for cosmetic needs while most underprivileged have never consulted a dentist.

In an aim to address these alarming findings and raise awareness on the need to introduce better oral care practices and preventive oral care habits across Lebanon, Colgate and the Lebanese Dental Association (LDA), Beirut launched their 2018 Oral Health Month national campaign. This initiative intends to educate the Lebanese citizens on how to improve their dental care routines in order to gain enough confidence to smile more often. 

The campaign was announced in a special press conference that gathered members of the Board of Directors of the LDA Beirut, headed by its President, Prof. Carlos Khairallah in addition to representatives and key managers from Colgate as well as local mass media.

The event commenced with a welcome note by Prof. Khairallah, who thanked Colgate for its incessant support to the LDA Beirut’s mission to spread awareness about oral health practices and draw more smiles across the country. He also recognized the members of the LDA Beirut, for their time, effort and determination to educate the public about good dental care practices. Similarly Prof. Khairallah acknowledged the mass media, present at the event, thanking them for propagating the message across a wide audience. 

In her turn, Ms. Mona Shantouf, General Manager of Colgate, Mashreq, thanked the LDA Beirut, and Prof. Khairallah for their unwavering commitment to enhance proper oral care practices across Lebanon to brighten everyone’s smiles. Ms. Shantouf noted that more than 500 Lebanese dentists enrolled in this year’s Oral Health Month as part of their commitment to raise awareness about the need for good oral hygiene and its impact on one’s general health. In her word, Ms. Shantouf shared the campaign’s phone number (01-489289), so that citizens can call and book their free dental appointment at their closest dental clinic.

In fact, prevention remains that best solution to fight against oral diseases given that there is one dentist for every 1,000 inhabitants in Lebanon. As such, there is a great need to educate the Lebanese public about good oral practices and encourage them to adopt healthy food diets, brush their teeth twice per day, use dental floss, and pay regular visits to the dentists to improve their oral health. 

The Oral Health Month campaign is an important step towards changing the mentality regarding oral health and helping out more citizens across the country gain access to better dental care. After all, every citizen deserves a healthy smile; thanks to Colgate, the LDA Beirut, and local media for their determination to raise awareness on the matter, drawing wide confident smiles all over Lebanon.