FG unveils N70b oral health plan to end noma mouth disease

• Raises concern as dentist-to-population ratio falls below WHO benchmark
The federal government has unveiled a five-year National Oral Health Strategic Plan estimated to cost N70 billion as it steps up efforts to eliminate noma and improve access to oral healthcare.
   
Noma is a rapidly progressing gangrenous infection of the mouth and face that primarily affects malnourished and immunocompromised children. It often begins as a gum infection but can destroy facial tissues within days if left untreated.
   
Launching the plan yesterday in Abuja, the Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, said it was aimed at strengthening oral healthcare delivery, expanding preventive services and integrating oral health into primary healthcare as part of efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage.
   
Speaking at the commemoration of the National Noma Day and National Oral Health Day, Salako said the government was determined to end the neglect of oral health and make it an integral component of Nigeria’s healthcare system.
   
He stressed that the country’s high burden of Noma, particularly in the North-West and North-East, required sustained national attention, describing the disease as a preventable condition that could cause devastating facial destruction, disability and death among affected children if not detected and treated early.
   
Salako noted that survivors also face stigma, social isolation and exclusion from their communities, adding that the World Health Organisation’s recognition of Noma as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023 was a significant milestone in drawing global attention to the condition.
   
Consequently, the federal government had integrated Noma surveillance into the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response system and was strengthening the capacity of primary healthcare facilities to identify and refer cases at stages zero and one, when interventions were most effective, he added.
   
According to him, the ministry has also trained frontline healthcare workers, traditional healers and traditional birth attendants in 19 states on the early identification of Noma and other oral diseases. 
   
Beyond Noma, the minister raised concerns over the country’s wider oral health challenges, disclosing that over 80 per cent of Nigerians had never visited a dentist, while two out of every three children lived with untreated dental caries.
   
He further disclosed that Nigeria had approximately one dentist for every 38,000 people, compared with the WHO-recommended ratio of one dentist per 7,500 people. 
   
He explained that poor oral health extends beyond dental problems, with untreated conditions capable of affecting children’s learning, limiting adults’ ability to eat and communicate effectively, and worsening other health conditions, including diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
   
To address these challenges, he said the federal government was strengthening the integration of oral healthcare into primary healthcare through the Sector-Wide Approach and Basic Health Care Provision Fund to make essential services more accessible and affordable.
   
Unveiling the National Oral Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030, Salako said it was developed in collaboration with the Nigerian Dental Association, other dental professional bodies, academic institutions, development partners and state governments.
   
According to him, it prioritised prevention and health promotion through improved access to fluoride toothpaste, school-based oral health programmes, sugar-reduction initiatives and the integration of oral health into nutrition, maternal and child health, and non-communicable disease programmes.