FG unveils full oral health services, PHCs integration plan

The federal government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening oral healthcare nationwide through improved legislation, expanded workforce training, and stronger institutional coordination, as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s high burden of preventable oral diseases.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Adekunle Salako, said dental facilities across the country would be upgraded and equipped, while additional dental professionals would be recruited at the primary healthcare level to expand access.

For emphasis, he said community health workers, primary health centre (PHC) staff, and traditional birth attendants are also being trained to identify and refer cases of noma, cleft lip, cleft palate, and other severe oral conditions for timely, often free treatment.

To ensure full integration of oral health into Nigeria’s primary healthcare system, he said PHCs have been mandated to provide oral hygiene education, counselling, basic diagnostics, fluoride treatment, restorative services, and referrals.

He added that the reorganisation and expansion of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) will make more resources available to support oral healthcare, particularly for vulnerable groups.

Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday during the commemoration of the 2025 National Oral Health Week and Noma Awareness Day, Salako noted that the steps become necessary considering that millions of Nigerians, especially children and the elderly, continue to suffer from preventable conditions such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and oral cancers, which undermine dignity, productivity, and quality of life.

He warned that noma remains one of the most devastating of these conditions, describing it as a rapidly progressing gangrenous disease that mostly affects malnourished children living in extreme poverty.

“Every Nigerian needs access to dental services,” he said, stressing the need for greater awareness, improved oral-health literacy, and the adoption of modern technologies to strengthen service delivery.

He called for a whole-of-society response, linking the elimination of noma and other oral diseases to improvements in nutrition, sanitation, housing, immunisation, and maternal and child health, saying, “Noma is not just a medical failure, but a societal inadequacy.”

Earlier, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Daju Kachollom, said noma is a preventable but devastating condition affecting mostly malnourished and vulnerable children, and that eliminating it requires more than clinical care.

She said nutrition, clean water and sanitation, social safety nets, and community empowerment must work together with oral-health services to stop new cases and reduce mortality.

Kachollom highlighted Nigeria’s key role in securing the WHO’s recognition of noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023, describing it as a milestone that has helped mobilise global attention, funding, and research.

She reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to strengthening workforce capacity and ensuring oral-health services are accessible, affordable, and sustainable.

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Chairman of the Noma Aid Nigeria Initiative (NANI), Mathis Winkler, described Nigeria as the most affected country in Africa and said this reality makes it essential for international partners to concentrate their efforts locally.

He said the initiative’s mission is to treat survivors and prevent new cases through awareness, early detection, and community-based interventions.

Winkler noted that NANI has been instrumental in establishing and operating specialised noma treatment programmes, including the Noma Treatment Center at the National Hospital, Abuja, where survivors receive surgical reconstruction, psychological support, nutritional rehabilitation, and follow-up care.

He said the organisation focuses on early identification of at-risk children, strengthening local medical capacity, and raising awareness of noma as a preventable disease, while working with communities to address root causes such as malnutrition and poor sanitation.

“We are here to treat, support, and prevent. And as long as Noma still affects children in Nigeria, we will continue this work,” he said.

NANI Country Director, Dr Charles Ononiwu, revealed that the centre has carried out 237 free reconstructive surgeries in its mission to address a disease that overwhelmingly affects children in rural and impoverished communities.

He expressed optimism about Nigeria’s recent progress, attributing improvements to increased awareness, stronger government support, and enhanced focus on neglected tropical diseases.

Ononiwu reiterated that Noma is highly preventable, noting that proper nutrition, good oral hygiene, early treatment of mouth sores, and routine childhood immunisation can significantly reduce its occurrence.