ORAL-B, a brand of Procter & Gamble Nigeria is partnering with the Nigerian Dental Association (NDA) to bring into focus the role of dentists in disaster management and the integration of the dental profession into the scope of protecting human lives and other disaster management teams in the country.

President of the NDA, Dr. Clement Olojede, disclosed this at a press conference in Lagos on Monday in respect of the forthcoming annual general meeting and scientific conference of the association holding in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state from June 5 and 6, 2013.

He explained that this objective had become imperative because the role of dentists in disaster management in Nigeria has not been properly understood and hence under -utilised.

He said that erudite speakers who were vast in the knowledge of the subject under probe had been carefully selected to arouse awareness of the accident and disaster managers, adding that the meeting is aimed at sharing scientific knowledge and brainstorming to pave a pathway for the association as well as lay a sustainable foundation for future generations.

The theme of the conference is “Accident and Natural Disasters in Nigeria: The role of the dentists.”

Olojede noted that the decision to make the theme of this year’s conference centred on disaster management was necessitated by several factors, which have led to mass disasters both locally and internationally.

Some of the factors include weather disaster, incidence of terrorism globally, mishaps involving mass travel, ethnics, religious and political clashes, the unfortunate cases of building collapse across the country, cases of pipeline explosions among others.

Also speaking, Regulatory & Technical Relations Manager, Procter and Gamble, Mrs. Adebusola Opanubi, congratulated the Nigerian Dental Association for the conference and also the Nigerian consumers who would benefit directly or indirectly from what they would learn from it.

She said Oral B is pleased to partner with the Nigeria Dental association because we share a mutual interest in improving the oral health of the Nigerian consumer.