More than 100 traders and residents of New Gbagi Market, Ibadan, have benefited from a free dental and medical outreach sponsored by SIFAX Group in partnership with the University of Ibadan Association of Dental Students (UADS).
The community-based initiative, held on July 25 under the Committee on Dental Education and Health (CODEH), provided beneficiaries with free dental consultations, oral health education, preventive care and basic medical screenings.
A total of 101 participants underwent comprehensive dental consultations out of about 130 people who initially registered for the exercise. In addition, beneficiaries received free blood pressure, blood glucose and body mass index (BMI) checks, while 30 patients identified with specific oral health needs underwent professional scaling and polishing.
The outreach is part of SIFAX Group’s community development initiatives aimed at improving access to quality healthcare for underserved communities.
Speaking during the programme, President of UADS, Patrick Okelue, commended SIFAX Group for its continued support of the association’s community health initiatives.
Okelue said the outreach was designed to address gaps in oral health awareness and access to dental services among residents of the community.
He explained that available health data indicate that fewer than half of adults in Ibadan have adequate knowledge of oral health, while only 22.1 per cent of those with such knowledge had accessed dental services within the previous year.
“Today, we have been able to do oral health talks, check people’s blood pressure, BMI and blood glucose. These people have also been able to consult with dental health professionals, with many of them referred to professionals for scaling and polishing,” he said.
To facilitate the programme, SIFAX Group funded critical aspects of the outreach, including venue preparation, medical consumables, personal protective equipment, transportation for volunteers, publicity materials, souvenirs and other logistics.
The exercise attracted more than 60 student volunteers from the University of Ibadan and the University College Hospital (UCH), supported by six clinical supervisors from the university’s Departments of Periodontology and Community Dentistry.
Following an extensive awareness campaign within the market, beneficiaries were registered and screened before being directed to consultation stations, where dental students conducted oral examinations under professional supervision.
Participants also received oral hygiene counselling, referrals for further treatment where necessary and complimentary toothpaste.
A key feature of the outreach was an interactive oral health education session conducted in both English and Yoruba. The session provided practical demonstrations on proper tooth-brushing techniques and offered participants the opportunity to ask questions about maintaining good oral hygiene.
The scaling and polishing procedures were performed by final-year dental students under the supervision of six qualified dentists, with appropriate infection prevention and patient safety measures observed.
At the conclusion of the exercise, traders and market 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 sponsorship, noting that the partnership had helped extend dental care and health education to people who might otherwise face barriers to accessing such services.
The association also disclosed plans for another major outreach at Aleshinloye Market in September, as it continues efforts to promote oral health awareness and preventive healthcare beyond conventional clinical settings.
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