DOHA: The Primary Healthcare Corporation (PHCC) will soon launch a new service ‘Beautiful Smile Clinics’ to provide oral health services to children under five years.
The clinics aim to address the high prevalence of dental problems among young children in Qatar.
This was disclosed by Dr Asmaa Othman Alkhatib, Manager, Oral Health Divisions, Service Development and Health Promotion, PHCC, in an article in the latest edition of Qatar Health magazine of the Supreme Council of Health.
A PHCC survey in 2011 found that 89 percent of four to five-year-old Qataris in government kindergartens had caries.
In other words, almost nine out of every l0 kids surveyed showed oral health problems even before they joined primary schools.
The survey by Alkhatib, in collaboration with the medical research centre at Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and University of Melbourne, Australia, also found that dietary habits of these children were not in favour of oral health.
For instance, the most popular snacks were juices (65 percent). And 85 percent of mothers surveyed thought orange juice was good for the teeth. There was a significant association between the presence of caries and the mothers’ knowledge that orange juice is good for the teeth.
Orange juice is among the most damaging to the tooth structure, along with other citrus juices, vinegar and soft drinks, said Alkhatib.
“Our ‘Beautiful Smile Service’ will be launched soon to offer quick and effective oral health assessments, diagnoses, treatment and advice to children and parents.
“The service will be aligned with the National Healthy Strategy, and the first pilot is set to begin soon,” wrote Alkhatib.
It will focus on two cohorts.
The first comprises children aged one to five. Assessments are being carried out at Well Baby Clinics and incorporated into standard infant care routines.
Where necessary, referrals are made to dental clinics.
“These young children will be introduced to a new model of care — the Beautiful Smile Clinics. These dental practices are dedicated to the provision of oral health services to children under five,” she added.
She said for the services to become a success, all healthcare professional who have contact with children and young parents must be aware of their benefits and understand when and how to refer children to them.
PHCC has identified ‘field champions’ among school nurses, who are striving to improve the oral health of the children they are working with.
“Our aim now must be to take the excellent examples being set by these individuals and build them into a systemic ‘whole team’ approach,” she added.
The Peninsula
