Dental cavity is the most common disease in the world having an estimated 2.3 billion people worldwide suffering from tooth decay in adults and more than 530 million children suffering from cavity.
Ministry of Health Chief Dental Officer Dr Miriam Muriithi said that, “Dental caries affects the general health and are the most expensive and hard to treat oral disease”.
She was speaking at a Nairobi hotel during Colgate Palmolive launch of the new Colgate Maximum Cavity Protection (MCP) touted to revolutionize everyday oral care.
Dr Muriithi noted that the 2015 Kenya National Oral Health survey report showed that almost one out of every four children (23.9 percent) get cavities with 5-year-olds being the most affected and one in every three adults having one or more cavities (34.3 percent).
According to Colgate Palmolive Kenya General Manager Vijay Ameta, the MCP toothpaste uses an improved formulation with the addition of arginine that strengthens teeth up to four times delivering Colgate’s future.
He said the arginine added feeds good bacteria to help defend against cavities and help fight acids that drive the cavity process.
He said that the 2015 Kenya National Oral Health survey report showed that almost one out of every four children (23.9 percent), get cavities with 5-year-olds being the most affected and one in every three adults having one or more cavities (34.3 percent).
“As the worldwide leader in oral care and with our trusted Colgate brand in most households, Colgate Palmolive has the opportunity to address the issue of cavities and having the Colgate team Kenya, the Ministry of Health in Kenya, our retail partners, Kenya’s dental professionals and with the right motivation, we will re-imagine a healthier oral future for all,” said Vijay.
He said the company has also invested in oral care education through its Bright Smile Bright Futures (BSBF) programme by partnering with schools around Kenya to help fight against cavities.
The programme, he said, has reached more than 1.4 billion children in more than 100 countries and more than 10 million children in Kenya.
The General Manager said that the BSBF promotes health equity, optimal health and well-being and leads a global social impact effort that empowers children and families to achieve healthier and brighter futures.
He also stated that the new MCP toothpaste is aimed at reducing the occurrence of cavities which cause the inability to bite hard food, difficulty in chewing and days missed at school and work because of tooth problems and significant dent and self-esteem.
By Fardosa Bonaya and Catherine Mumbi
