Tuesday, Jun 11, 2013
Dubai: The Dubai Health Authority and World Health Organisation (WHO) completed the screening of 5,617 school students in Dubai for oral hygiene indicators.
As part of the survey, students in the 5-6 age group, besides those in the 10-11 and 15-16 age groups, from public and private schools in Dubai underwent screening.
“This research programme will provide us with information about the current level of oral health care habits of school children in Dubai. It will also help us assess the level of dental knowledge and attitudes among children. Once we collate and study this information, we will base our oral healthcare policies and preventative programmes in accordance with the results of the survey to ensure we effectively help improve oral health behaviours among school children,” said Ahmad Kalban, CEO of DHA Primary Healthcare Centre.
The survey included screening programmes and clinical examinations, which were carried out by DHA dentists and hygienists according to WHO criteria, said Khalid Fargali, head of the general dentistry section at Dubai Health Authority.
“The surevy will help up us detemine the decay-missing-filled index (DMF), which means that we will learn about the decay status of the children’s teeth, missig teeth and the filled teeth. We have just completed data collection; the next step is entering the data which we will then analyse and send to WHO; after WHO’s approval, we will publish the data.”
Schools across all geographical areas of Dubai including Hatta were part of the screening programme. Of the 5,617 students who took part in the survey, 1,939 were from government schools and 3,678 were from private schools.
The next phase of the survey will include data analysis and preparation of a report on the steps needed to improve oral hygiene of school children in the emirate.
Dr Tareq Khoury, director of dental services, primary healthcare sector, DHA, added that the survey is of crucial importance as oral hygine gets worse with age. “Educating the youth and encouraging oral health hygiene early on is crucial. Often oral health problems are neglected but parents and caregivers need to understand that common oral diseases such as dental caries and periodontitis tend to cause pain and discomfort subsequently leading to absenteeism and poor performance among pupils,” he said.
Staff Report
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