A professor of Restorative Dentistry, Prof. Linda Oge Okoye, has raised an alarm over the increasing burden of tooth decay in Nigeria, tasking citizens and the government to take urgent, science-backed actions to curb the trend.

During her inaugural lecture titled ‘Beyond the Smile: The Myth, the Truth and the Control of Tooth Decay’ at the University of Nigeria Enugu Campus (UNEC), Okoye said that fluoride toothpaste remained the solution to tooth decay.
 
Okoye, who is also Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry in the university and Chairperson of the Association of Nigerian Dental Deans, emphasised that controlling sugar intake remains the most effective way to prevent tooth decay.
 
She advised Nigerians to avoid frequent snacking on sugary foods, noting that sugar consumption between meals significantly accelerates dental damage.
 
“If you must take sugar, take it with meals, not in between,” she said.