Free check-up: Reason to smile

Dubai "I will brush my teeth twice a day," said Heba Shoaib, 4, a KG 2 student of Al Salam Private School in Dubai.

One among 26 others from her class, Heba has just come out of Dr Michael's Dental Clinic on Al Wasl Road after getting a free dental check-up. "The kids love it when Dr Michael Formenius' team sees them. It's usually the mobile team that visits the school, but we've opted to make the trip to the clinic this time," class teacher Munira Minn said.

For Dr Formenius, Clinical Director and Founder of the clinic, the free check-ups have been an annual affair since 1997. His team of 14 dentists, four hygienists and 16 nurses cover 16,000-20,000 students from 60 primary schools and nurseries every year. "It's a community service for us," said Dr Formenius.

The proposal

The India-born Swe-dish doctor said when he came to the UAE from Stockholm in 1996, he had mooted a proposal to the Ministry of Health for a Sweden-type oral health programme for schoolchildren using mobile clinics. He also brought with him one such clinic at a cost of Dh500,000. But, when the idea did not fly, he went private, making oral health check-up a free social service.