LAGOS, Nigeria: Last week, the Lagos State Government revealed that it is planning to congregate about 300,000 students from different local schools in order to beat the Guinness World Record for the most people brushing their teeth simultaneously. The event will be organised in the scope of a new dental care programme in Lagos.

In order to promote better oral hygiene among Lagosians and adolescents in particular, the new preventive dental care programme will be implemented in the city’s primary health care centres from October.

“It is a school-based oral health intervention programme that will culminate in a world record attempt for the number of people brushing their teeth simultaneously at multiple locations,” announced Dr Yewande Adeshina, Special Adviser to the Governor of Public Health, during a world press conference last week.

At noon on 5 December this year, the government hopes to assemble students from about 300 local schools in Lagos, identified through the Ministry of Education, to brush their teeth for one minute, said Dr Bakare Lawal, the project’s head.

In addition, Adeshina stressed that the project is aimed not only at breaking the world record, but also at providing vital health information. “The world record toothbrushing challenge is an opportunity for oral health to be brought to the forefront for Lagos State and Nigeria,” said Dr Lola Agbaje, chair of the state chapter of the Nigerian Dental Association.

The current record is 177,003 people brushing their teeth simultaneously at 380 locations across India in an attempt organised by Colgate-Palmolive in association with the Indian Dental Association on 9 October 2007.