Close up Breaks World Record with Teeth brushing challenge
Over 300,000 young Nigerians gathered at
the Teslim Balogun stadium in Lagos, as well as other locations around the state,
to participate in the World Record breaking Teeth brushing challenge. The
challenge sponsored by leading oral care brand, Close Up toothpaste, in
partnership with Lagos State government, Nigerian Dental Association (NDA), HEIT
Solutions, Vas2Net & Core Media, saw various
school students take part in brushing their teeth at the same time at different
locations. Continue
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| A cross section of sponsors and participants at the closeup World Record
with Teeth brushing challenge at Teslem Balogun Stadium |
Speaking before
the kick-off, Executive Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola,
said that the challenge was a representation of how people ought to take care
of their bodies, with oral care being a priority.
“The Lagos State
government supports a comprehensive healthcare system. A simple oral hygiene
routine, such as brushing twice daily, restricts the number of visits to the
dentist. Unfortunately, many people do not take care of their teeth and mouth
because they consider them small among the body parts that should be taken care
of. There is little consideration that this part of the body is where all the
food that we eat in order to nourish the rest of our body passes through,” Fashola
said.
Mr. Mabo Thabe, Managing Director, Unilever Nigeria,
makers of Close Up toothpaste and other household brands, who spoke at the
event, said
that Close Up was supporting the challenge as part of its commitment to promoting and reiterating a
healthy oral care culture for Nigerians.
According to him, “At Unilever, our mission is to meet the
everyday needs of our consumers through great brands that help people feel
good, look good and get more out of life. We have constantly provided quality
goods for 90 years in Nigeria, and we are poised to create even more value for
our consumers by staying close to them, understanding their needs and
meeting those needs through consistent innovation. A healthy and good looking Nigeria
is a great Nigeria.”
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| Vice
President, Association of Private Dental Practitioners of Nigeria,
Azuara Ifeanyi David; President, Nigeria Dental Association, Olojede
Olurotimi; Brand Building Director, Unilever Nigeria Plc, David Arome
Okeme, and Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Public
Health, Dr Yewande Adeshina, during the Closeup World Record Teeth
Brushing Challenge |
Project Lead, World
breaking Teeth brushing challenge, and Founder, HEIT Solutions, Dr. Lawal
Bakare, who also spoke at the event said that the Teeth brushing challenge was
spread across communities in Lagos which include Epe, Ikorodu, Agbara, Ikeja
and Surulere, with hundreds of volunteers from the Nigerian Dental Association
(NDA), Schools, and other agencies, who were present at the different
locations across the state to ensure that the counting was properly monitored.
In preparation for the Challenge, over 300 secondary
school teachers went through a special Teacher’s Alignment Training Session. The
teachers were informed of the World Record standards for counting the
number of students brushing in each school, the designed model for the tooth
brushing as well as the waste recycling element to the attempt.
Close Up Brand Manager, Mr. Dexter
Adeola, thanked Nigerians for their unflinching support towards making the
event a huge success. “At the beginning, we urged Nigerians to show their
support for this challenge by brushing twice. I have been overwhelmed by the
turn out and the number of people who told me that they brushed twice today
already and will still do so later. This is one of the reasons Close Up loves
Naija. The warmth and love of the people cannot be quantified. Thank you
Nigeria! Today, together we have made history!” he concluded.
The Close Up Teeth
brushing challenge would be the latest World Record on
Teeth brushing, putting Nigeria in the Guinness Book of World Records. India previously
held the title where an event brought together 177,003 people to brush their
teeth at the same time.
