Kumasi, June 2, GNA - Dr Owusu Achaw Duah, Medical Consultant and former Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso South, on Thursday said, efforts must be stepped up to promote oral health, to reduce the risk of coronary artery diseases.

Studies, he said, had established that people with dental and other oral

infections were almost twice likely to suffer from coronary artery diseases= .. This is because oral bacteria after entering the blood stream attach

themselves to fatty plaques in the arteries thereby contributing to clot formation. Dr Duah, who is the Director of Martin Luther King Memorial Clinic and Training School, was speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), after he led a team of medical personnel from the United States (US) to provide oral health care for the people, at Amoawi, in the Offinso Municipality.

The people were also taught how to brush their teeth correctly and the prevention of dental diseases and other oral infections. The health outreach programme was put together by the 93Charity beyond Borders", a US-based NGO, in conjunction with the Weber State University (US)and supported by the Martin Luther King Memorial Clinic at Odorkor in Accra.

More than 450 school children and adults benefitted and were given free tooth brushes and dental floss. Dr Duah said it was important children were taught basic oral hygiene to help them avoid tooth decay, bad breathe and other infections.

It was also pertinent for the nation to give priority attention to community health development since majority of rural population lacked access to basic health-care due to inadequate health facilities.

Professor Lisa Trujillo of the Weber State University and Founder of "Charity beyond Borders" pledged their determination to serve as reliable and effective partners in the drive to bring quality health care to people in deprived communities.

During their stay, the team would conduct clinics at the Aninwaah Medical Centre at Emena, in Kumasi. They had already been to the Northern Region, where they carried out dental education for some selected school children.

Professor Trujillo advised against too much sugar intake since it could cause tooth decay through the building up of cavities in the teeth.