FG unveils N70bn five-year plan to tackle Noma and widen access to dental care
The 2026 to 2030 oral health plan was launched in Abuja on National Noma Day, with the minister saying more than 80 per cent of Nigerians have never seen a dentist.
The Federal Government has unveiled a N70bn National Oral Health Strategic Plan for 2026 to 2030, aimed at improving access to dental care, reducing oral disease and eliminating Noma as a public health problem.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, announced the plan on Monday in Abuja at an event marking National Noma Day and National Oral Health Day, according to a ministry statement. It covers preventive and treatment services, earlier detection of Noma, a bigger dental workforce and the integration of oral health into primary healthcare in all 774 local government areas.
Salako described Noma as preventable but devastating, with the potential to cause severe facial disfigurement, disability and death, especially among malnourished children. It is most common in the North-West and North-East. The World Health Organisation recognised it as a Neglected Tropical Disease in 2023.
The minister said Noma surveillance has been added to the national disease surveillance system, and that frontline health workers, traditional healers and traditional birth attendants in 19 states have been trained to spot early signs and refer patients.
He also gave figures on the gap in care: more than 80 per cent of Nigerians have never visited a dentist, two in every three children have untreated tooth decay, and the country has about one dentist for every 38,000 people, against the WHO recommendation of one for every 7,500.
SOURCE: Vanguard
