Description
GENEVA HEALTH FORUM APPLICATION
INTRODUCTION
Noma is an oral health disease of very poor children (in Nigeria and Sub-Sahara Africa) where there is orofacial gangrene with high mortality and several complications in the survivors. Across the spectrum of this disease, malnutrition is a prominent figure enhancing the occurrence and affecting outcome.
JUSTIFICATION
Oral health and nutrition are linked together in many ways. Whereas
adequate attention is given to nutrition programs, oral health is still neglected. Even when nutritional indices improve, there would still be significant burden of oral diseases and poor oral health behaviors and practices. This Feeding After Tooth-brushing (FAT) Project seeks to engage innovative and scalable ways of integrating oral hygiene knowledge and practices into existing nutrition programs in Nigeria especially those in terrains where we commonly have noma cases. Such that we can use the existing momentum in nutrition program to address gaps in oral health knowledge, practices and diseases.
METHODS
Zeronoma Initiative is a volunteer-driven NGO with the sole aim of preventing noma. In Nigeria, this disease is commonly seen in the states in the Northern part of the country. States are naturally divided into senatorial districts, each having three (3) districts each state. Approximate number of local governments will be selected in each state
Registered and recognized organizations with ongoing nutrition programs in these selected local governments will be engaged.
With appropriate oral health education materials, periodontal diseases, and stages of noma will be depicted and shared for people seen during the outreaches. Also, oral hygiene measures and instruction on nutrition will be contained in these materials to be printed in languages of communication (English and local) and shared.
During follow up session, knowledge, practices of oral hygiene will be documented and analyzed to see possible changes regarding their oral hygiene
RESULTS (INTENDED)
Number of outreach programs jointly executed and children seen
Data on malnourishment in places visited
Data on dental diseases in malnourished children that were seen in our outreaches
Data on cases of noma seen during the outreaches (whether acute or chronic)
Data on changes in oral hygiene knowledge and practices
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