MY JOURNEY- FROM PASSION TO IMPACT: EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES THROUGH ORAL HEALTH ADVOCACY
By Cynthia Nwachukwu
Growing up, oral health was never something that was paid much attention to. Almost everyone in my house had dealt with tooth problems at some point, and I believed it was just hereditary. We lacked proper knowledge, and basic oral hygiene practices—like brushing twice daily, flossing, or visiting the dentist at least once in 6 months—weren’t priorities for my parents.
I remember having a severe tooth infection that left me in pain for days. I had no choice but to extract the tooth. That experience made me more aware of the realities of dental treatment, including it’s high costs and the barriers to assessing good-quality oral health services in my community.
Everyday, someone like me suffers from a toothache. Everyday, the number of cases of oral diseases and oral-associated systemic diseases continues to rise. According to a 2023 WHO report, the African region has seen an increase of more than 257 million in oral disease cases in the last 30 years.
In Africa, there are a lot of underserved communities, who lack awareness and education on oral health practices, and who have limited access to oral health care. We cannot just desire for a change, but rather, be a part of it. So I decided to be a part of changing this narrative, to engage my community, enabling them with the tools they need to take care of their oral health, by creating awareness, educating them on oral health practices and collaborating with like minds to create more lasting solutions. And that is where my journey began—From Passion to Impact: Empowering Communities through Oral Health Advocacy.
I started studying Dentistry at the University of Nigeria, Enugu state. In my second year, I became actively involved in health advocacy, organizing oral health outreaches, educating communities, and writing oral health articles to create awareness. I became an active member of some school health bodies, such as the Medical Research and Humanitarian Society(MEDRHUS), a non- governmental organization aimed at carrying out health-related research and humanitarian services in local communities. And the Public Health Planning Committee(PHPC) for my faculty’s annual health week, where we organized a health conference, community outreaches and awareness programs.
As I became more involved in oral health advocacy, I actively searched for ways to expand my impact beyond my university. This led me to join the Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders in 2023, where I participated in their Student Leadership in Global Oral Health Course during my final undergraduate year.
The Alliance for Oral Health Across Borders (AOHAB) is a non-governmental organization with a mission to improve oral health care in underserved communities globally. Recognizing that their mission aligned with mine, I applied to be a part of their leadership course, in which I received trainings and was able to carry out a personal project—The Preventive Visit Project; a research/intervention project done in my locality, Awgu LGA, Enugu state; to underscore the dental clinic’s role as a preventive tool in reducing the occurrence of preventable oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis; of which I made a poster presentation at the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) 2024 “One Voice” conference in Chicago, Illinois.
After finishing the Student Leadership in Global Oral Health course, I joined the alumni committee, serving currently in the Alumni Programs Development committee, and Research committee, with the aim of strengthening my research skills.
My experience with AOHAB has deepened my understanding of oral health disparities, particularly in underserved communities. I am currently carrying out a research in my community, in Cross-river state, on how socioeconomic status affects access to oral health care.
I am also a part of a global research project on the relationship between periodontitis and preterm birth in developing countries, together with other members of the AOHAB alumni research committee, further expanding my research globally.
I graduated from the university in July 2024, where I obtained my Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree (B.DS Nig). I am currently doing my internship at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Cross river state, as a Dental House Officer. After which I plan to do my masters in public health, and achieve my career goal which is to provide sustainable solutions to oral health challenges, in Africa, and globally.