MoPH organises events to spread oral health awareness

The Ministry of Public Health, in cooperation with its partners, organised several activities and events aimed at intensifying awareness about oral and dental health on the occasion of the World Oral and Dental Health Day, which is observed annually on March 20, and the GCC Oral Health Unified Week from March 25-31. The theme of the World Oral and Dental Health Day this year is 'Be Proud of Your Oral Health'.

Celebrating the World Oral and Dental Health Day, the Ministry of Public Health organised an awareness seminar on the oral health care of the elderly, for physicians, dentists, nurses and other oral health specialists.

The seminar is the first of its kind in the field of oral health for the elderly in the State of Qatar, during which a number of lectures were presented by a number of doctors from Hamad Medical Corporation and Primary Health Care Corporation. The lectures focused on the importance of maintaining the oral and dental health of the elderly, as it represents an enhancement to their general health, in addition to confirming the importance of oral health care for the elderly through patient-centered health care and the need for cooperation between physicians, dentists, nurses and other medical specialties as one team to obtain the best results of oral health for this important category of the society. The seminar highlighted the latest scientific developments related to how to treat oral and dental diseases in the elderly, and how to make the needed referrals to different specialties, as well as it explained the relationship between the oral health in the elderly and some common diseases such as diabetes and other geriatric diseases.

During the seminar, the efforts of Hamad Medical Corporation in providing health care services to the elderly were reviewed, whether with regard to oral and dental treatment or to various specialties related to this population group. Dr. Hanadi Al Hamad, Medical Director of Rumaila Hospital and Qatar Rehabilitation Center at HMC, said: "Rumaila Hospital provides many important services to care for the elderly and maintain their health through three departments for emergency cases in the day unit, long-term care, and outpatient clinics. It also provides all its services in the Falls Clinic, the Memory Clinic, Enaya Specialized Care Center, and The National RAHA Alzheimer's and Memory Services Helpline, in order to ensure the best possible care for the elderly in the State of Qatar."

The seminar also reviewed the efforts of the Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) in providing oral and dental health services that it provides to the elderly through joint cooperation between all medical specialties in the corporation.

Dr. Samya Al Abdulla, Executive Director of Operations at PHCC, highlighted the latest scientific developments related to how to treat oral and dental diseases in the elderly and reviewed the services of oral and dental health care provided by the Primary Health Care Corporation for the elderly in all medical specialties.

Dr. Samia Al Abdulla stated: "The continuity and integration of care is an important part of any treatment plan and one of our most important goals, and oral health is no exception. Maintaining oral health is an essential part of the overall health of community members, especially the elderly, which will effectively reduce the risk of poor oral health for this group and will also provide us with the opportunity for comprehensive oral health awareness."

"We work closely with healthcare teams to help the elderly getting appropriate care to prevent and reduce the risk of serious oral diseases, reduce the need for medical intervention, and enable older people to enjoy better oral health" she added.

Dr. Khulood Al Mutaweh, Head of the Non-Communicable Diseases Section at the Ministry of Public Health, said that the seminar included various awareness lectures targeting the medical and paramedical staff who deal directly with the elderly in the public and private health sectors, with the aim of raising awareness and intensifying efforts to enhance the care of the oral and dental health of the elderly, in line with the special care provided by the State of Qatar to this group, and the commitment of the Ministry of Public Health to provide appropriate health services for each member of society.

Dr. Kholoud Al Mutaweh added that the Ministry of Public Health continues to strengthen efforts to care for the elderly, and in this context, the Ministry intends to organize a seminar on the care of the oral and dental health of the elderly to be conducted on a quarterly basis, during the months of March, May, August and December, with the aim of maximizing the benefit of the medical and paramedical staff.

Dr. Wafaa Al Mulla, Oral and Dental Health Specialist at the Ministry of Public Health, stressed the need to focus on oral health care and attention to the dental health of the elderly, especially those who use full or partial dentures, or other various oral devices.