​ The Dubai Health Authority’s(DHA’s) smart clinic discussed today the importance of oral hygiene.
 
Information was disseminated via DHA’s Twitter and Instagram account. The two hour smart clinic provided people with an opportunity to use these channels to raise their queries about oral health.
 
Dr Khalid Al-Gergawi, consultant prosthodontist highlighted that DHA offers a comprehensive dental services program for children and adults. “The Dubai Health Authority’s dental services in the primary healthcare sector covers all spectrums of oral health. On a weekly basis, across all DHA primary healthcare centers there are 251 general dentistry clinics, 191 specialized dental clinics,77 clinics for oral hygiene and 11 clinics for child health education.
 
“There services are provided by a team of  71 general dentists, 40 specialists and 241 dental assistants.
 
“In 2014, the total registered visits across all DHA PHC’s for dental services were 187,311 and 8107 prosthodontics treatment procedures were conducted. This year, from January until now,  111,494 visits have been recorded and 4879 prosthodontic procedures have been completed.”
 
Gergawi said the main cause for these visits is caries and complications that arise out of caries. The second leading cause of dental problem is gum disease. “The main cause of caries is poor oral hygiene and a diet that is high in sugar content and junk food. The other problem is frequent daily consumption of these foods. Dentists recommend that people should eat sugary foods at one time during the day rather than eat it in smaller quantities throughout the day.”
 
He said patients often delay visiting the dentist which worsens the problem. “Many patients visit us when the tooth is severely decayed and cannot be restored unless replaced. This complicates a simple caries case into a more complex procedure. Ideally, people should visit a dentist or a hygienist every six months to detect any caries or oral problems early on.  This prevents further complications and loss of tooth. Moreover,  regular visits help clean plaque built up which is essential to maintain a proper oral hygiene.”
 
“The second most common problem after caries is gum disease which is caused by poor oral hygiene that leads to bacteria buildup and other systemic diseases. Diabetics are more likely to develop periodontal disease and therefore they need to be follow a disciplined oral hygiene routine.”
 
In terms of oral hygiene for children,  Dr Mahmoud abou Gazya, specialist senior dentist at DHA’s primary healthcare sector,said: “After the child gets the first tooth,  parents should ensure the child is seen by a dentist every six months. Excessive consumption of sugary-foods and poor oral hygiene causes early premature loss of teeth in children  due to caries and this also leads to delay the eruption of permanent teeth and when the permanent teeth begin to erupt it may not be aligned. If that is the case, the child will need to go through  orthodontic treatment.”
 
Gazya added: “ It’s important to ask children to at least rinse their mouth after consuming chocolates or sugary foods or  30 minutes after having carbonated drinks or citrus foods.  However, if they are outside the house and that’s not convenience, they should rinse their mouth.
“The 30 minute gap after citrus foods helps protect the teeth. Fruits, particularly orange or lemon juice, vinegar, sport drinks and soft drinks, all have a very high level of acidity in them and they soften the enamel. If you brush your teeth straight away you\'re going to damage the softened enamel. Waiting to brush for at least 30 minutes gives your mouth time to produce enough saliva to neutralize the acidity.”
Gazya  added that parent supervision during brushing teeth is very important especially for young kids. “Children are not capable of properly brushing their teeth until the age of six years so it’s best to brush their teeth first and then let them have the brush.”
 
 
Gazya also advised against bottle nursing at night. “Don\'t put your infant or older child down for a nap with a bottle of juice, formula, or milk. Sugary liquids cling to the teeth, feeding bacteria that can cause tooth decay. If you must give your child a bottle to take to bed, make sure it contains only water.”
Gazya said that parents should be aware of what to do during a dental emergency. “Majority of trauma injuries involving teeth take place in children between 8 to 12 years and this is the time when they have permanent teeth. If your child’s permanent tooth gets knocked out, place the tooth in  hank’s balanced salt solution , which can be found in the pharmacy and we also recommend schools to keep this solution in their emergency kit. If that is not possible, the child should keep the tooth in the sides of his mouth, so that there the tooth is exposed to saliva. If the child is unable to do that or if the solution is difficult to find immediately, the other option is to keep the tooth in milk. Parents should immediately go to the dentist for possible replantation of the tooth.”
The DHA offers specialized dental services across four PHC’s centres, while general dentistry services are offered across all health centres.
 
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Tips:
 
·        Carbonated drinks and citrus food such as lemon can cause erosion of the teeth,  therefore its best to brush your teeth after 30 minutes after consuming such foods. Ideally limit the consumption of such foods to one or twice a day.
 
·        Bottle-feeding at night should be totally avoided
 
·        Natural freshly squeezed juices have lower sugar than the packaged varieties.
 
·        Avoid adding sugar in foods unless really needed.
 
·        Give your child a bigger piece of sugary food once a day rather than giving smaller bites all through the day.