On October 06, 2019, Cadshine Foundation held a live webinar on the topic of Dental Hygiene. The goal of this webinar is to

promote good oral health and practices amongst individuals working in rural areas of Bangladesh. This project aligns with

Cadshine’s Innovative Impact Pillar #2 “Well Being”.

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Statement of Need

Our research found that it is a common practice amongst individuals living in rural areas of Bangladesh to consume raw betel leaf and nut. This practice, which can also be described as an addiction, starts amongst individuals when they are young adults. There are several adverse effects of consuming betel leaf/nut; Including oral cancer, mouth ulcer, heart diseases to name a few. Our research also found that it is a common practice amongst individuals living in the rural areas to use wood ash on their finger to brush their teeth. This practice causes tooth decay, tooth sensitivity, potential of developing cavities to name a few.

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Cadshine’s Project

Cadshine Foundation partnered with Straub Dentistry of Port Washington, Wisconsin and DBL Group of Bangladesh to host a live webinar in Bangladesh. The webinar was broadcasted live from Wisconsin by Pamela Plier, a Registered Dental Hygienist, and was actively translated in Bangla by Kazi Rafizullah, who is a native Bangla speaker. The live webinar addressed some of the adverse effects of consuming carcinogenic substances like Betel nut and leaf. The webinar also educated the participants on proper brushing techniques. The 45 minute webinar followed a 15 minute Q/A session, where participants got a chance to ask Pamela Plier, RDH,  questions they had about oral health. The webinar proceeded with a free distribution of a dental kit for all participants.

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“The free dental kit distributed amongst the participants made the learning by doing work simple for the participants. Overall we can say that the Dental Hygiene webinar brought to us by Cadshine Foundation and Straub Dentistry was unique and this uniqueness has helped in embedding the dental hygiene learnings into the minds of the participants.” - Mr. Mohammad Zahidullah, Chief Sustainability Officer, DBL Group.

 

Technology Used

Bangladesh, a developing country in South East Asia, has started to invest in their IT infrastructure very recently. Due to this, proper internet access outside urban cities of Bangladesh is relatively rare to find. DBL Group within its facility had high speed internet access, which enabled us to host a live webinar broadcasting from Wisconsin, USA.

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