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Improving oral care for people living with hemophilia in Madagascar

The WFH Development Grant Program (DGP) was launched in 2018 to encourage the development of new and innovative projects to support the global inherited bleeding disorders community.

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The WFH Development Grant Program (DGP) was launched in 2018 to encourage the development of new and innovative projects to support the global inherited bleeding disorders community. To date, 31 national member organizations (NMOs) have had projects supported by the Development Grant Program. One of these projects was implemented by l’Association pour le Bien-Etre des Hémophiles à Madagascar in 2020 to improve oral care for people with bleeding disorders (PWBDs) in the country.

In many countries, access to adequate education and care related to oral health is lacking for the majority of PWBDs. In Madagascar, gingivorrhagia is one of the frequently identified reasons for patient visits to a hemophilia treatment centre (HTC) and it is estimated that nearly 80% of PWBDs do not know how to correctly brush their teeth. A WFH Development Grant allowed l’Association pour le Bien-Etre des Hémophiles à Madagascar help local community members significantly improve their oral health.

To prevent unnecessary visits to the HTC and decrease the number of PWBDs with dental related complications such as cavities and gum bleeds, l’Association pour le Bien-Etre des Hémophiles à Madagascar set out on training visits to Antananarivo, Majunga and Tamatave to educate the community on effective oral hygiene practices. In total, over 160 PWBDs and their families benefited from these visits.

A workshop in Tamatave was conducted with great success, despite the challenges brought on in 2020 by the COVID-19 pandemic. Training topics at that event included an overview of oral hygiene, including safe techniques for brushing, frequency and timing, and the most appropriate types of toothbrushes for PWBDs to use. Participants received educational brochures that they could reference at home.

It is thanks to the financial support of the WFH Development Grant Program that many of our members have learned the best way to support their oral health.

- André Fety, MD, President, L’Association pour le Bien-Etre des Hémophiles à Madagascar

L’Association pour le Bien-Etre des Hémophiles à Madagascar was also able to leverage the training visits—which were covered by two of the most popular television stations in Tamatave—to raise awareness about bleeding disorders in the general public

To learn more about the WFH Development Grant Program, please click here.

The WFH Development Grant Program is supported by exclusive funding from Sanofi Genzyme.

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