Dental health national strategy under preparation

Dental surgeons and dentists from Francophone African and European countries ended their conference in Yaounde over the weekend.

Dental surgeons and dentists of the Association of Francophone Dentists, GADEF, and their colleagues from the Cameroon National Association of Dentists, ANOSC, have resolved to step up work on completing the National Strategy on Dental Health. They met in Yaounde from April 8-10, 2015.

Rising from the Second ANOSC/GADEF International Conference and 32nd GADEF Scientific and Cultural Days at the Yaounde Conference Centre, members also agreed to set up an exchange platform between the Ministry of Public Health and ANOSC. This will be through a Focal Point in the Department of Disease Prevention.

Organised under the patronage of President Paul Biya on the theme, “The smile reflects our health,” participants requested that dental surgeons be involved in all health projects and programmes in the country like their colleagues of other disciplines.

Speaking at the close of the conference on Friday, April 10, 2015, ANOSC President, Dr Sylvie Ngoubeyou Ngoulla, called for the inclusion of the dental profession in the organisational chart of the Ministry of Public Health and for work to be quickly found for unemployed young dental surgeons, whom she said, were trained at high cost.

The conference, which was opened by the Minister of Public Health, André Mama Fouda, was attended among others by Prof. Denis Bourgeois, GADEF President and Vice President of the Faculty of Medicine, Lyon University and Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry, University of Lyon I; all in France.

Eminent dentists from Francophone African and European countries also presented lectures on different topics.

The theme of the conference, organisers explained, was chosen with the aim of raising awareness on the dental profession “… because the mouth is directly linked to the rest of the body. Thus, taking good care of one’s health inevitably entails taking good care of teeth.”