To commemorate the World Oral Health day 2025, Uganda Dental Association implemented a multidisciplinary countrywide campaign that brought stakeholders from various fields together to celebrate and bring more attention to oral health within Uganda. This campaign, which was planned for a year, aimed to utilize the strengths of both physical community outreach and digital advocacy to advance a shared goal with FDI for the world oral health day celebrations of 2025. Running under the theme "A happy mouth is a happy mind", the ambitious campaign was designed to maximize public engagement, oral health education, and access to dental care.
Digital Oral Health Education and Social Media Engagement; in a bid to engage the student members of the dental profession while also providing education to the public through entertainment, a creativity challenge was set up. Students from the three universities that teach dentistry were tasked to come up with a TikTok video that provided oral health education and also informed the public about the world oral health day celebrations in Masaka. These videos were shared on various social media platforms after which the best video was selected by a committee. This digital campaign leveraged Tiktok, Facebook and Twitter for broader dissemination while using official WOHD hashtags and campaign branding to maximize reach and engagement. A series of other campaigns on social media run concurrently from a number of member clinics which included oral hygiene demonstrations, myth-busting content, and interactive Q&A sessions, fostering two-way communication and awareness among the general public.
Community outreach and free dental services; in the spirit of upholding the tradition of changing the venue of the main world oral health day celebratory outreach, the South Central region hosted the 2025 celebrations. A series of dental outreaches was held at different outreach sites in the region which included Hill Road Public School, Kalisizo District Hospital, Butenga Health Center, Sembabule Health Center IV, Mweruka Junior School, and Kyanamukaka Health Center which culminated in a grand celebration at Equator University, Masaka. There was special focus placed on reaching school children and underserved communities thus supporting FDI’s goal of universal access to oral healthcare. At the outreaches, there was provision of free dental check ups, dental restorations, dental extractions and even provision of removable prostheses. The work was done by a diverse team which included students under supervision by their teachers, public health dental officers, dental surgeons and other specialists in the field. In order to further demonstrate the link between oral and general health, additional services were provided which included a blood donation drive, sickle cell anemia screening, BMI measurements and nutritional advice among others. This integrated approach fostered collaboration across health disciplines, reinforcing the message that oral health is essential to overall well-being.
Traditional media and public engagement; an article was published in the leading daily newspapers in Uganda talking about the history and significance of the world oral health day, challenges faced by the oral health sector in Uganda and also gave oral health education as a reinforcement to the weekly tips published throughout the year. Members of the executive committee of the Uganda Dental Association also appeared on different talk shows to spark and engage the public in conversations about oral health. There was publication of blogs on the websites of the hosting institutions which further increased the reach of the primary message of the world oral health day celebrations.
World Oral Health Day main celebrations; the climactic event was held at the Equator University of Science at technology's dental school premises with the final dental camp held at Masaka Referral Hospital. In addition to the dental outreach activities, there was a march through Masaka town, awarding of the student with the best tiktok video, addressing of the press by the president of the Uganda dental association and a celebratory lunch. The activities to celebrate the World Oral health day brought together a strong network of sponsors and collaborators which included Colgate, Build Your Smile Foundation, Troikaa, Routine Medical and Dental Supplies, City Dental and Medical Supplies, Ministry of Health, RHIF, UDOTA, Fresh-Up, Yekko Dental Clinic, Kushaba Science Hub, Brighter Smiles, Good Hands Dental Clinic, Uganda Red Cross. These collaborations enabled resource mobilization, wider reach, and sustainability of oral health initiatives during the campaign period and were vital to its success.
In conclusion, the Uganda Dental Association outreach campaign to celebrate the world oral health day was a success as demonstrated by the thousands reached through community events and outreaches and tens of thousands engaged indirectly via social media and the other more traditional forms of media. This campaign demonstrated a holistic, innovative, and impactful approach to oral health promotion in Uganda, combining digital engagement, community service, multidisciplinary health interventions, and strong stakeholder collaboration. We respectfully submit this report for consideration in the FDI World Oral Health Day Awards, confident that our efforts have contributed meaningfully to the WOHD mission and inspired pride in oral health across Uganda and the region.
Oral Health education tips through tiktok videos, Facebook, Twitter in preparation for the day. Tiktok videos will be made by dental students from the different dental schools in the country. The best tiktok video will get an award.
In Masaka, we are going to provide free dental check ups, dental restorations, dental extractions, dentures for missing teeth. We are going to carry put these outreaches in a number of communities including schools to make this impactful.
Other activities will involve blood donations, Sickle Cell anemia screening, BMI check, Nutrition advice, etc. to allow for multidisciplinary approach.
The outreaches will be carried out at Hill Road Public School, Kalisizo District Hospital , Butenga Health Center, Sembabule Health Center IV, Mweruka Junior School, Kyanamukaka Health Center and the final celebrations will be at Equator University, Masaka
Publication of an article in the mainstream newspaper on 20th March 2025 to state everything about oral health including oral health education, the origin of the WOHD, challenges faced by the oral health sector in Uganda
On 20th March, there will be a main event at Equator University with invitation from the different stakeholders in Ministry of Health , Local and National stakeholders in Health
Sponsors and collaborators: Colgate, Build Your Smile Foundation, Troikaa, Routine Medical and Dental Supplies, City Dental and Medical Supplies, Ministry of Health, RHIF, UDOTA, Fresh- Up, Yekko Dental Clinic, Kushaba Science Hub, Brighter Smiles, Good Hands Dental Clinic, Uganda Red Cross
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