The UAE Ministry of Health and Oral-B today announced a collaboration agreement whereby Oral-B will support various community projects across the country, as part of the UAE National Oral Care Preventative Programme.
The UAE National Oral Care Preventive Program is a nation-wide initiative designed to promote pro-active oral are and help reduce the onset of Dental Caries – tooth decay caused by a build up of bacteria in the teeth and gums. The programme will enhance parental education on oral care best practices, as well as aid and encourage parents to pro-actively maintain their children’s oral health from an early stage, from milk tooth to permanent ones.
The extensive programme has been developed following a study conducted by the Ministry of Health among UAE children. The study showed that the majority of five year olds experienced dental caries in their primary dentition and more than half of 12 year olds suffer from caries in their permanent dentition.
His Excellency Dr. Abdul Ghaffar Abdul Ghafour, Assistant Undersecretary for Curative Medicine, UAE Ministry of Health, said: ”The Ministry of Health is giving this project a primary importance given the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us. We will be working very closely with other government bodies such as the Ministry of Education to ensure that the preventive approach is communicated to both, parents and children.”
Dr. Ibrahim Abdulla Bin Arab, Director of Federal, Dental Department, Ministry of Health, said: “Dental caries is the main oral disease amongst UAE children and we believe we can minimize it by following a long-term, preventative approach. Our programme will educate children and parents side by side, and will also promote early detection of the disease.” He continued: ”Oral care experts like Oral-B have a significant role to play in supporting this initiative and we welcome Oral-B’s commitment to our programme,” added Dr. Bin Arab.
Under the collaboration agreement, Oral-B will work with officials from the various dental departments in the UAE to drive forward the UAE National Oral Care Preventive Program. The programme is currently being implemented in various Emirates in the UAE (please see details below).
”Oral-B is committed to improving oral care for life in the communities in which it operates,” said Ranu Kawatra, regional business director for Oral-B Middle East and Africa. “In practical terms, this means a close collaboration with the public sector and in-depth support of its initiatives to prevent oral disease, through education, financial support and provision of products,” he continued.
”We are extremely proud of our association with the Ministry and committed to jointly improve oral hygiene among UAE children,’ concluded Kawatra.
Oral-B is a Gillette company and the brand used by more dentists worldwide. The Ministry of Health recommends Oral-B for total oral care.
Details of the UAE National Oral Care Preventive Program and the role of Oral-B
Mother and Child Program
The Ministry of Health, Dental Department, has designed the Mother and Child Program for pregnant mothers and infants up to the age of three. It delivers parental education and guidance and infant oral health care education and treatment. The programme’s aim is to minimize dental caries at the earliest stages and will facilitate monitoring of oral hygiene from birth until schooling years by the Ministry, to ensure consistency and optimum results. This program is conducted at vaccination stages of both, mothers and babies at public care centers.
The Mother and Child Program is available to pregnant women in the UAE and utilises the public health permanency counselling and delivery services
Oral-B will be providing the dental department with support required to educate health care specialists on oral hygiene and dental caries prevention; the company will make available a parental education portfolio resulting from years of research and experience with oral hygiene driven by Oral-B laboratories, as well as oral care products for mothers and infants.
Primary Preventive Program for Children
The ministry of Health, in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, will implement this program, which is designed to follow children’s oral hygiene between the ages of four and five in public schools. The emphasis of the programme is on self-care and regular tooth-brushing, with fluoride toothpaste. The Ministry will also build a base line data to continue defining the disease development / prevention
Oral-B will support this program by making available bilingual parental and children education portfolio built from years of research and experience in oral hygiene in Oral-B laboratories. An educational portfolio that includes a step by step approach to teaching children oral hygiene habits will be developed by Oral-B to meet the educational requirements of nurses and supervisors. Oral-B will supply the dental department with of all products required to demonstrate healthy oral hygiene practices to school children.
Systematic Dental Disease Prevention
A program designed for children between the ages of six and thirteen. Again, the programme will promote self-care and a regular brushing routine with fluoride paste. The ministry will also build a base line data to continue defining the disease development / prevention as well as the management of caries permanent teeth. Dentists from the Dental Departments will screen children and conduct clinical prevention treatment and follow up where necessary.
