Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation in collaboration with University of Hong Kong present a One Day Oral Cancer Training with the theme: “the use of Artificial Intelligence in the early detection of oral cancer and premalignant disorders (OPMDs)”.
The programme which is free targeted Dentist, dental consultant, dental auxiliaries and Allied Oral Health Professionals is scheduled to hold on Saturday April 15th 2023 at Starview Palace Hotel, plot 7, 4th avenue Gwarimpa, and time is 8am.

Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation (CFDF) is a Nigerian based voluntary medical organization that is made up of Nigerian professionals. The focus of the organization is the care of less privileged individuals with cleft and other craniofacial deformities. We create awareness about the scourge, as well as carrying out free CLEFT LIP, PALATE AND OTHER CRANIOFACIAL surgical operations on this category of citizens.
The burning desire to give back to the society was ignited by the observation that there were always left over of patients that turned up for surgical missions by foreigners in Nigeria. The founder, Dr Seidu Bello, an Abuja-based maxillofacial surgeon concluded that there was a need for the establishment of an indigenous surgical mission for craniofacial deformities among the indigent patients which gave rise to the organization in 2011.

GreenLand News Online Media Team recently visited Dr. Seidu Adebayo Bello, a Consultant and Maxillofacial Surgeon, who is also the Executive Director Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation, said their focus is to alleviate the sufferings of indigent people that are afflicted with the facial deformities.
According to him, “facial diseases is a whole lot, ranging from children that are born with opening on their lips or palate-called cleft lips and palate, to facial tumor in which abnormal growth of the face, including the jaws, also to TMJ and cheillosis, which is also called locked jaw.”

“So it is the whole of this spectrum that is encapsulated as facial diseases and this is what we have been doing. We have been doing that for eleven years and also we have not relented.”
“We have carried out 25 outreach programmes in selected hospitals in the Federal Capital Territory as well as 10 states of the federation including Nassarawa, Kogi, Niger, Taraba, Katsina, Edo, Delta, and Oyo states. We have operated over 5000 patients with different kinds of facial deformities and Dental problems.”

In his words:
“The Foundation carried out oral health survey in a rural community of Oke Ogun in Oyo state in 2019 with startling discoveries about the oral health burden of the country which have been published.
The present collaboration is to create awareness about oral cancer among Nigerians and sensitize the populace about prevention of the scourge. There is also a need to assist the indigent patients that are affected with oral cancer.
“our experience in Okeogun is a replica of what is happening in all the rural communities in Nigeria. The Oral Health is neglected and there are no dentists. So these are the things we have been doing. We published like two articles from that program and they are there as reference for the whole world to see.”

University of Hong Kong (HKU), Established in 1911, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) is Hong Kong’s oldest institute of higher learning and an internationally recognized, research led, comprehensive university. While recognizing the strength of its heritage and traditions, HKU also engages in frontier research and academic endeavours that reflect and address the needs of a fast changing, knowledge-based world. The University has a comprehensive range of study programmes and research disciplines spread across 10 faculties and over 140 academic departments and institutes/centres. There are around 30,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students, and more than 4,000 members of academic and academic-related staff coming from multi-cultural backgrounds, many of whom are internationally renowned.
The Faculty of Dentistry, HKU is the only institution in Hong Kong that provides undergraduate and postgraduate dental degrees. Founded in 1982, it was ranked the top dental school in the world according to the QS World University Rankings by subject (2016 – 2018). Currently, the faculty ranks among the top 3 dental schools in the world.
In 2022, the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the Faculty of Dentistry, HKU initiated a collaboration with the Cleft and Facial Deformity Foundation (CFDF), Abuja to promote the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for early detection of oral cancer in Nigeria which earned generous support from the HKU Knowledge Exchange Funding Scheme for Strategic Impact.
The aim is to create awareness about oral cancer and facilitate early detection in Nigeria.