Dubai: After the successful dental screening of over 2,000 labourers in Dubai last year, an oral hygiene programme plans to screen 4,000 workers in phase two of the programme launched on Tuesday.
The oral hygiene initiative, launched last year under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, made some significant findings that will help better manage the oral hygiene of labourers. The initiative, launched in conjunction with the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs (PCLA) in Dubai and Dubai Dental Clinic (DDC), was conducted by the students and staff of the Hamdan Bin Mohammad College of Dental Medicine (HBMCDM).
Data collected during the year-long campaign revealed that almost every individual examined was suffering from pressing dental problems. The most common oral health problems were dental plaque and tartar (calculus), tooth decay (dental caries) and gum (periodontal) disease. Around 46 per cent of the workers were suffering from toothache. Severe dental problems were found in 44 per cent of the workers and they required dental extraction whereas close to 30 per cent of workers had missing teeth. requiring fixed or removable dental prostheses. Overall it was observed that 81 per cent required oral hygiene programmes.
The Oral Hygiene Initiative implements two of the strategic themes under the Dubai Plan 2021 — a city of happy, creative and empowered people, and the preferred place to live, work and visit.
The important clinical data collected during the Phase I screening will not only be used for further research but is being treated as an important feedback to tweak Phase II of the programme that will cover 4,000 workers.
Dr Khawla Belhoul, director of clinical operations at HBMCDM, told Gulf News: “Our screenings revealed that nearly 600 labourers were suffering from tooth problems that were very painful and required immediate intervention, and about 1,200 were diagnosed with tooth decay. Our students will be able to use the clinical data collected during this campaign for their postgraduate dental studies and be able to examine the prevalence of oral disease and its burden on hospitals. We will be able to study oral tooth decay, the effectiveness of the oral hygiene awareness programme, have better follow-ups and stronger strategies for Phase II.
“We are also examining how oral disease affects people suffering from diabetes and hypertension and we are working in close collaboration with the Harvard Dental School. Based on the findings we plan to expand our hospital facilities from the existing 28 chairs to 65 dental chairs. We are looking at emphasising the importance of early screening and preventive care among labourers. We also plan in our second phase to conduct simple screening in our mobile dental cars at labour accommodation sites. Of course people will have to come to the clinic for a more detailed examination as sophisticated equipment at the clinic enables efficient diagnosis and quick intervention. We are hoping that this campaign will create greater awareness among the labour force about the importance of dental hygiene.”
