Listen to story here
More than 100 traders and residents of New Gbagi Market, Ibadan, have benefited from a free dental and basic health screening programme sponsored by SIFAX Group in partnership with the University of Ibadan Association of Dental Students (UADS).
The outreach, held on July 25 under the Committee on Dental Education and Health (CODEH), provided underserved residents with free dental consultations, oral health education and preventive care.
A total of 101 participants underwent comprehensive dental consultations, following an initial registration of about 130 people. Beneficiaries also received free blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index (BMI) checks, while 30 patients with identified oral health needs underwent professional scaling and polishing.
The intervention is part of SIFAX Group’s community-focused initiatives aimed at expanding access to quality healthcare and supporting health interventions for underserved communities.
Speaking at the outreach, UADS President, Patrick Okelue, commended SIFAX Group for its sustained sponsorship and thanked traders and market leaders for their cooperation.
Okelue said available medical data indicated a significant gap in oral health knowledge and utilisation of dental services, underscoring the importance of taking preventive healthcare directly to communities.
“Less than half of the total adult population in this city had adequate knowledge of oral health, and only 22.1% of those that know had utilised any kind of dental services in the past year,” he said.
He added that the outreach enabled participants to receive oral health education, medical checks and professional dental consultations, with patients requiring further treatment referred appropriately.
SIFAX Group funded critical aspects of the programme, including venue preparation, medical consumables, personal protective equipment (PPE), volunteer transportation, publicity materials, souvenirs and other logistics.
The exercise mobilised more than 60 student volunteers from the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital (UCH), alongside six clinical supervisors from the university’s Departments of Periodontology and Community Dentistry.
Following an awareness campaign across the market, participants were registered and screened before being directed to dental consultation stations. Under professional supervision, dental students conducted oral examinations and provided hygiene counselling, referrals and complimentary toothpaste.
A key feature of the outreach was an interactive oral health education session delivered in English and Yoruba. The session included practical demonstrations of proper tooth-brushing techniques and allowed participants to ask questions about maintaining good oral hygiene.
Final-year dental students also carried out scaling and polishing procedures under the supervision of six qualified dentists, with infection prevention and patient safety protocols strictly observed.
Market traders and leaders commended SIFAX Group and UADS for bringing free oral healthcare services directly to the community, describing the intervention as timely and impactful.
UADS expressed appreciation to SIFAX Group for its continued support, noting that the sponsorship made it possible to deliver free consultations, preventive care and oral health education outside the traditional clinical setting.
The association said it plans to hold a second mega dental outreach at Aleshinloye Market in September as part of efforts to deepen oral health awareness and access to preventive dental care in underserved communities.
