Editorial
Children’s early dental care essential
Early dental care is essential for children, and parents are urged to begin their children’s dental care as soon as their first teeth appear.
This is because early oral hygiene habits could guarantee strong, healthy teeth for the rest of one’s life and prevent long-term dental issues.
Dental care is therefore crucial in order to maintain good oral health and avoid any problems that can develop as the child gets older.
Introducing children to dental care also provided parents with advice on good oral hygiene habits, according to Dr. Kakra Bonsu Appiah, Head of the Dental and Oral Surgery Department at Tema General Hospital.
These include proper tooth and gum hygiene, the value of fluoride, and dietary practices that promote strong, healthy teeth.
Establishing proper oral hygiene habits early on is crucial since it prevents cavities, gum disease, and other dental problems while laying the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy living. However, some caregivers begin this practice later.
Toothache and other gum or tooth-related issues should not be treated lightly because they cause excruciating pain that affects every part of the body and impairs attention.
Many children enjoy eating sweets, but since sugary diets are a major cause of cavities, parents should advise their children to restrict their intake.
The dentist advises using fluoride toothpaste to clean one’s teeth twice a day and flossing once a day.
In order for this to be successful, caregivers must set an example by maintaining proper dental hygiene so that their children can easily follow suit.
In addition, parents need to feed their children a healthy food.
The dentist advised against prolonged thumb-sucking, which is a frequent behaviour among young children, as it may result in an open bite, in which the child’s lower and upper front teeth do not touch correctly when their mouth closes.
According to him, this misalignment may impair the child’s capacity to properly bite and chew food and may also result in speech issues, including issues with articulation and pronunciation.
In order to lower the chance of future oral health problems, The Spectator pleads with parents to make sure their children’s dental growth stays on course, as advised by the dentist.
Editorial
Parents urged to take responsibility for sex education
Dr. Francis Wuobar, a Gynaecologist at the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua has urged parents to take the lead in providing sex education to their children, stressing that they were in the best position to guide them through the changes of adolescence.
According to him, sex education remained a taboo subject in most Ghanaian homes, a culture that must change to prevent children from seeking misleading information elsewhere.
“With the evolving nature of society and technological advancements, today’s children will either learn about sex on the internet or from their peers, who may offer wrong advice,” he cautioned.
Dr. Wuobar noted that the health system and society often concentrate on the reproductive stage of life, neglecting the adolescent and menopausal phases.
“When a woman reaches the reproductive period and gets pregnant, everyone rallies around her. But before that stage, during adolescence, there is little attention and guidance, which has contributed to the rising cases of teenage pregnancy,” he explained.
He observed that many adolescents lack access to counseling and adolescent clinics, creating a vacuum that forces them to explore on their own.
“The answers they seek, adults and parents are not willing to provide. Their peers, who are equally uninformed, become their only source of advice. This exploration is one of the major contributors to teenage pregnancy,” he said.
Dr. Wuobar therefore called on parents to create open and confidential spaces for discussion, where children can freely ask questions about sex, puberty, and relationships.
He emphasized that parents must help adolescents understand the consequences of unprotected sex, the changes they go through, and what choices were right or wrong.
“Today’s generation is curious and asks questions, unlike in the past when children were silent. Parents should not rebuke them but rather engage them seriously and guide them through this turbulent stage,” he advised.
He further appealed to the health sector to establish more adolescent clinics across the country to give young people safe spaces to seek information and counseling.
That, he said, would help reduce the high incidence of teenage pregnancy and support adolescents in making informed decisions about their sexual health.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
Editorial
Addressing unhealthy conditions at Akropong Mandela Market
Dear Editor,
The Akropong Mandela Market, a vibrant centre of commerce, has been in a terrible state for over a decade now.
Central to the problem is a public toilet located near the market, which has become a breeding ground for diseases and a source of discomfort for both food vendors and customers.
This toilet, utilised by everyone in the town, is positioned too close to the market, severely affecting the vendors who spend long hours selling their goods.
They are constantly exposed to unsanitary conditions mixed with foul odours emanating from the facility.
Agnes, a vendor at the market is sad about the apparent lack of concern from those responsible for maintaining the toilet. Despite collecting user fees, there seems to be little effort to keep the facility clean and hygienic.
The situation at the Akropong Mandela Market highlights the urgent need for effective waste management and sanitation infrastructure in public spaces.
Authorities must take immediate action to ensure the facility is regularly maintained and cleaned. Vendors and customers deserve a safe and healthy environment to conduct their daily activities.
In the meantime, the vendors are urging local government officials to intervene and find a lasting solution to this problem.
Only through collective action can the health and well-being of both vendors and customers be safeguarded to restore the Akropong Mandela Market to its former glory as a thriving commercial hub.
Addo Sarah Ansah Student,
UNIMAC–IJ(BACS26275)
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