Did you know that rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth makes you lose out on the protective benefits of fluoride in your toothpaste? It is important to spit but not rinse your mouth so that the concentrated fluoride in your mouth can reduce your chances of decay and sugar attacks. Well, I caught your attention there. Call me Dr Awua, a Ghanaian dental surgeon who is enthused about bridging the gaps between health care and health equity through education and patient empowerment.
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Starting out life in Accra (Ghana), my father, who grew up in a small community in Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo region (Ghana), always instilled the value of education in me. He was mindful of the fact that education is what we pass on to generations to empower them to become powerful people since knowledge is power. I never lost sight of this and made sure to utilize every information I acquired from school and give back to my community by educating the masses.
Did you know that rinsing your mouth after brushing your teeth makes you lose out on the protective benefits of fluoride in your toothpaste? It is important to spit but not rinse your mouth so that the concentrated fluoride in your mouth can reduce your chances of decay and sugar attacks. Well, I caught your attention there. Call me Dr Awua, a Ghanaian dental surgeon who is enthused about bridging the gaps between health care and health equity through education and patient empowerment.
Currently, I work as a dental surgeon in a private practice in Accra, Ghana and a director for a non-profit called Awua-Mensah Smiles Foundation. However, my work as a dentist does not just end in the dental chair. I write as a columnist in the Daybreak newspaper, a local newspaper in Ghana, to educate readers on the fact that dentistry is not a luxury but rather a necessity. Furthermore, I actively initiate oral health campaigns on social media networks such as Instagram, YouTube, Tiktok and Twitter which have resulted in massive engagement and translated into an astonishing surge in patient numbers at my workplace. I also organize health outreaches and dental screening to corporate institutions and schools such as the British Council (Ghana), Australian High Commission (Ghana), Center for Democratic Development Ghana (CDD Ghana), Roman Ridge School, Alysd Academy, Petits Scholars Nursery and Preschool, First Banc, Ghana Life, Starlife Assurance, AFB Ghana, West Blue Consulting, Inlaks Ghana, Worshed, and the East Legon Executive Fitness Club. Occasionally, I sit in as a guest on oral health matters on local radio stations such as YFM 107.9FM and Starr 103.5FM, and local television stations such as GH One TV and HSTV.
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In the future, I plan to make oral care accessible to all, especially the undeserved communities in Africa. How do I plan to do this? By strategically engaging and planning with stakeholders in Africa to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages as part of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).