ID :
395819
Wed, 02/03/2016 - 09:24
Auther :

Oral Hygiene Initiative screens 2,000 workers, second phase doubles target

DUBAI, 3rd February, 2016 (WAM) -- The Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, HBMCDM, yesterday announced the successful completion of screenings under the Oral Hygiene Initiative announced by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. The Initiative achieved the target of screening 2,000 workers by the end of 2015. The second phase of the Initiative will screen 4,000 workers. Organised in collaboration with the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs, PCLA, in Dubai, and the Dubai Dental Clinic, DDC, the clinical partner of the Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine of the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, the initiative delivered screening sessions from May 19th until December 8th, 2015. The announcement was made at a press conference at the Dubai World Trade Centre on the sidelines of the 20th edition of the UAE International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition – AEEDC, ending on February 4th, 2016. Saif bin Markhan Al Ketbi, Director-General, Office of the Crown Prince of Dubai, Dr. Raja Al Gurg, Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director of Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), Major-General Obaid Moheir bin Suroor, Chairman, Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs in Dubai, Dr. Amer Ahmad Sharif, Chief Executive Officer-Education Sector, Dubai Healthcare City Authority, and senior officials were in attendance. Al Ketbi praised H.H. Sheikh Hamdan for launching the humanitarian initiative that has helped improve oral health standards and address treatment needs among workers who represent an important community in the emirate. 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. Al Ketbi said, "By working directly with workers, we have encouraged them to lead healthier lives as well as encouraged the companies that hire them to take action to contribute to employee health and wellbeing. We are excited that the next phase of the Oral Hygiene Initiative will continue to support Dubai Plan 2021, promoting the health and wellbeing of our people and making quality healthcare accessible for each socioeconomic segment of society." Recognising several workers have limited access to dental treatment, resulting in untreated and often preventable oral health problems, the initiative included dental check-ups and oral hygiene instructions conducted by a team comprising faculty, residents and dental hygienists, dental assistants and administrative staff. The clinical data collected from the 2,000 workers screened indicated that the most common oral health problems were dental plaque and tartar, tooth decay and gum disease. Around 46% of the workers were suffering from dental pain. Severe dental problems were found in 44% of the workers who required dental extraction and close to 30% workers had missing teeth requiring fixed or removable dental prostheses. Overall, it was observed that 81% required oral hygiene programmes. Dr. Sharif said, "It is an honour to work with our stakeholders to actively support the Oral Hygiene Initiative. Screening is a natural extension of the work carried out by the clinical partner of our college, the Dubai Dental Clinic, and part of our public health commitment. Over time, the data collected from these screenings will help us design better public health strategies." In 2015, as part of its CSR commitment, the clinic screened more than 3,000 members of the community, including workers, school students, and children with special needs, and held health education sessions on how to maintain a healthy smile. Major-General Suroor said, "Our goal is to improve access to services in support of workers’ safety, health and rights. Our work with the Oral Hygiene Initiative is one more example of how we are achieving this goal. We are proud to be able to help 2,000 workers, and look forward to helping many more in the future." – Emirates News Agency, WAM - http://www.wam.ae/en/news/general/1395291048400.html

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