Drive to brush up oral hygiene

Thousands of schoolchildren across the emirate will soon learn the importance of maintaining oral hygiene under a campaign that is set to roll out in January. Titled Abu Dhabi Smiles, the campaign will train school nurses working at 500 public and private schools on the importance of oral hygiene, and provide them with a tool kit to aid children's dental education. At an event held to launch the initiative, health officials discussed the results of an oral health screening conducted by the Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) in 2010. Of 2,500 pupils from 18 schools in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain, 59 per cent were referred to dentists for poor oral health. "Oral health is a public health priority in the emirate, especially as good oral health enables an individual to speak, eat and socialise without illnesses, discomfort or embarrassment," said Dr Omniyat Al Hajiri, manager of health promotion and surveillance at the Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD). Abu Dhabi Smiles is being organised by the HAAD, in association with the AHS, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec), Oral B and Crest. Article continues below Daily activities Following the training for school nurses, schoolchildren between the ages of five and 11 will be taught about dental hygiene through daily activities and contests. Besides children in private schools, more than 42,000 pupils at Cycle 1 public schools will also be covered, Dr Mubarak Al Darmaki, health section manager for school operations at Adec, said. "More than 50 million school hours are lost annually because of oral health problems in both developing and developed countries. Moreover, poor oral health is associated with decreased school performance, poor social relationships and less success later in life," explained Dr Al Darmaki, adding, "We hope daily school activities and dental education will prompt young children to make a change in dental hygiene habits."