By Desire Uzochukwu
The Federal Government has unveiled a ₦70 billion National Oral Health Strategic Plan 2026–2030, setting a five-year target to expand access to dental care and eliminate Noma as a public health problem in Nigeria.
The government also disclosed that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved the National Centre for Oral Health Establishment Bill 2026 and transmitted it to the National Assembly for consideration, in a move aimed at strengthening the country’s institutional capacity to tackle oral diseases.
Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, announced the initiatives in Abuja during the commemoration of National Noma Day and National Oral Health Day.
Salako expressed concern over Nigeria’s oral health burden, particularly the prevalence of Noma in the North-West and North-East, describing the disease as preventable but devastating, with consequences including severe facial disfigurement, disability and death, especially among malnourished children.
He disclosed that more than 80 per cent of Nigerians had never visited a dentist, while two out of every three children were living with untreated dental caries.
The minister also highlighted the country’s shortage of dental professionals, noting that Nigeria had approximately one dentist for every 38,000 people.
The five-year strategic plan is designed to address these gaps through preventive interventions, school-based oral health programmes, integration of oral healthcare into Primary Healthcare and improved training and distribution of oral health personnel.
Under the plan, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is prioritising the integration of oral health services into Primary Healthcare through the Sector-Wide Approach (SWAp) and Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF), with emphasis on making essential services more accessible to underserved communities.
To strengthen early detection of Noma, the ministry has also integrated surveillance of the disease into the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system.
Salako said frontline health workers, traditional healers and traditional birth attendants had been trained across 19 states to identify suspected cases early and facilitate referrals for timely treatment.
He called on state and local governments to domesticate the strategic plan to ensure its effective implementation nationwide, while urging development partners to sustain their support for the country’s oral health interventions.
In her welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Daju Kachollom S. mni, reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening oral healthcare delivery within the Primary Healthcare system.
She stressed the importance of building the capacity of frontline health workers to improve early detection and referral, particularly for conditions such as Noma, where delays in seeking treatment can have devastating consequences.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, pledged legislative support for routine oral health screening and stronger oversight to ensure effective implementation of the strategic plan.
Development partners, including Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Hilfsaktion Noma, commended the government’s efforts and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting treatment, capacity building, survivor support and community awareness.
Declaring the strategic plan launched, Salako reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment, under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, to eliminating Noma as a public health problem and expanding access to quality oral healthcare across the country.
