Unilever Sri Lanka, a company with a proud 80 year history in the country, together with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka Dental Association (SLDA) and the FDI (Fédération Dentaire Internationale – World Dental Federation) recently organized an event at Independence Square to commemorate World Oral Health Day. The celebration, which attracted over 1,500 people across the age spectrum, promoted proper dental hygiene through a series of lectures and practical drills. According to the SLDA about 90% of the world population suffer from oral diseases and this event provided dental and oral healthcare communities a platform to address these issues with the public and possibly help reduce the overall disease burden.
Unilever Sri Lanka’s participation in the event is in keeping with the company’s global mandate of encouraging better oral healthcare as part of its Sustainable Living plan to drive positive change in the world. Events like this, that raise awareness of oral health, along with the active participation of government and health associations have the potential to greatly reduce the disease burden by funding and facilitating prevention, detection and treatment programs in the country.
Sharing his views on the occasion, Dr. Vipula Wickramasinghe, General Secretary, Sri Lanka Dental Association said, “This year’s World Oral Health Day was an astounding success.
It gave us an opportunity like no other to interact with and educate a myriad of different people, children as well as adults, from all walks of life. We were able to impress upon them the importance of proper oral healthcare in leading a long and happy life. Events like this with the active participation of all stakeholders is the difference needed to ensure a healthier future for all Sri Lankans.” Commenting on the key role played by Unilever Sri Lanka, Nilushi Jayatileke, Director Marketing - Personal Care, Unilever Sri Lanka stated, “Being the pioneer that introduced fluoride toothpaste to the Sri Lankan market, Unilever is committed to its social mission of improving the health and well-being of the Sri Lankan people. This is also in line with our philosophy of “Doing Well by Doing Good”, in which oral health plays a pivotal role. Unilever has been conducting Free Dental Camps across the Island over the past 10 years covering millions of Sri Lankans and has been a partner of the SLDA for over 3 decades to uplift oral health and hygiene in Sri Lanka.”
World Oral Health Day is celebrated on March 20 each year to promote worldwide awareness of the issues around oral health and the importance of oral hygiene for both, the old and the young. Organized by the FDI World Dental Federation, this year’s celebration also marked the launch of a new three year campaign under the theme ‘Say Ahh: Think Mouth, Think Health’ which encourages people to make the connection between their oral health and their general health and well-being.