The hit parade

Don some interesting headgear and dance on the streets and you’ve got half the formula for a festival down pat. But for a city known for its pristine white-sand beaches and lowkey yet cosmopolitan lifestyle, a festival isn’t complete without a fluvial parade, a local beauty contest and people taking to the streets to celebrate the queen of the south’s most famous fiesta – Sinulog.

Considered the Super Bowl of festivities for any proud Cebuano, the nine-day celebration in honor of the Sto. Niño consists of two parts: the religious procession, a solemn parade (or at least partly so as throngs of students joined the procession in less-than-somber dispositions) of devotees carrying images or plaster models of the Sto. Niño, and grand parade day, when city-dwellers flock to the streets, along with food-toting vendors, to witness teams of people, dressed in bizarrely-designed costumes, walk to the beat of drums. From outlandish floats to the instant bazaars set up by independent vendors lining the streets of Osmeña Boulevard and Fuente Osmeña circle, the colorful citizens of Cebu prove that a little crepe paper and a lot of team spirit go a long way.

Ambush Makeover

Locals at Cebu hotspots were surprised to find Tintin Bersola making ambush stops to do oral checkups during the weekend finale of the Sinulog festival. The well-loved media personality was besieged by fans from her first stop at Ayala Mall, where an Oral-B Aahmbush stand was set up. The mini-clinic, which was open to everyone, was manned by dentists from Cebu and Manila offering free dental checkups. Tintin, who currently endorses Oral-B and is tagged as their resident expert, shies away from her title, explaining, "In terms of knowledge, I am nowhere near the expertise of trained dentists. I’m just bringing their message across." That message concerns millions of Filipinos, who, due to a lack of funding in government programs, don’t visit a dentist or know how to care for their teeth. The campaign seeks to educate locals on oral health, having made stops at other regional spots around the country, like Bacolod during the Maskara festival. A team of dentists tour the city on a roving bus, which picks up random passengers, and inspects their teeth, imparts some advice and fork over some sweet Oral-B goods.

Claiming that her signature sweet smile and her "manner in delivering good news" landed her this latest role as a harbinger of oral-related info, Tintin manages to parlay her good-girl image and media credibility into a successful business. "I’m obsessed with keeping my teeth clean," she remarks on the Aahmbush bus on the way to the second stop. "I brush for exactly two minutes. My electric toothbrush has a timer and it buzzes once I’ve hit my two-minute goal." She even claims to have reformed husband Julius Babao. "Before he was with me, Julius used to brush his teeth for about 30 seconds – and he didn’t floss!" Now the husband and father of 11-month-old Antonia has seen the light. After consistent reminders from his significant other, the news show host now follows his wife’s golden rules. "My mom was a stickler for hygiene," she adds. "Ît’s only natural that I follow the same path."

Sink Your Teeth Into This

As the Oral-B Aahmbush bus went to different restaurants, where Tintin introduced herself to locals and gave out some freebies, the dentists offered free dental assistance to any of the willing passersby. One of the people who took them up on their offer was Christian Bajenting, a quiet six-year-old accompanied by his aunt and sister. Christian, though still young, already had a lot of plaque buildup. "He needs pasta," says Dr. Susana Sotelo, an assistant professor at the UP College of Dentistry. "We’ve found many children, who at a very young age, already have cavities and bad breath" she says, shaking her head.

"It’s a prevalent state," adds Dr. Marcelle Salinda, a member of the UP College of Dentistry. "There’s a very high index of periodontitis, a disease of the gums and supporting structures which results from a progression of gingivitis, here. The majority of the population has tooth decay, which they take for granted." Many of these dentists find that people will only go to the dentists to treat pain, a sign of an already-progressing oral disease, instead of regularly visiting the dentist as mandated by local dentist’s associations. "Unfortunately, people would rather spend money on food rather then waste it on visits to the dentist," she adds with a shrug. "It’s a fact of life."

Doctors Salinda and Sotelo both believe that public school programs aren’t focusing on the importance of oral care. "Even the DOH," they add, "have washed their hands of it, moving dental health issues to local government levels." What’s to happen when local branches run out of funds, as they often do, and have none left to spare on local health programs? The state of our oral health is answer enough.

"What the government can do is fluoridate the water, which helps strengthen the teeth," says Dr. Salinda. "On a basic level," adds Dr. Sotelo, "eating less processed food and visiting the dentist twice a year goes a long way."

These dentists are spreading their message slowly by region, through Oral-B’s campaign and Tintin’s easily digestible oral health segments on her show. The key, they claim, is to educate parents.

"This campaign reminds parents to train their children early," Tintin says earnestly. "It all starts in the home."