President Dr. Arif Alvi has said that World Oral Health Day, celebrated on March 20, is a reminder of the fact that good dental health is a guarantee of good general health. He highlighted that Prophet Hazrat Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) also called for cleanliness, and reiterated that keeping one’s teeth clean is "Sunnah-i-Nabvi". He emphasized that it is of utmost importance to brush one’s teeth many times a day to prevent bacterial infections and dental diseases like Pyoria. On this Day, therefore, he urged the people to keep their teeth clean for a good general and oral Health. A distinguished prosthodontist and orthodontist, the President has formerly served on numerous FDI committees and as a member of FDI council from 2007-2013. As a member of FDI Council, Dr Alvi played a leading role in instituting March 20 as World Oral Health Day. Today, World Oral Health Day is the largest global awareness campaign of its kind, as it reaches out to the public, professionals, and policymakers, who all have a role to play in reducing the global burden of oral disease. The President stated that, as a proponent of a holistic approach to health, he considers oral health as an integral element of overall health. He stressed upon the promotion of preventive care for optimal oral health. He said that a dollar spent in prevention saves a hundred in curative care. The president has also expressed his desire to establish oral health as a national priority. He said that we must improve the oral health of the people of Pakistan. That cannot happen only by curative dentistry, it has to be prevention at a massive scale. *****
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