Dental decay on the rise in the United Arab Emirates
Dental decay is becoming increasingly prevalent amongst children in the United Arab Emirates, senior dentists have revealed.
Dr Aisha Sultan, president of the Dental Society, Emirates Medical Association, said that dental decay was becoming extremely common amongst children and more needed to be done to educate parents about caring for their child’s teeth, oral hygiene and healthy eating. Dr Sultan said that it was essential for mothers to start caring for their children’s teeth from birth.
Dr Sultan was speaking to Gulf News and claimed that standards of oral health were falling, despite the introduction of government screening programmes at both private and public schools. Dr Sultan suggested that a poor diet, increased consumption of fizzy, acidic drinks and a lack of oral hygiene were contributing to increased rates of decay.
Dr Ramesh Bulbule, chairman of the scientific committee of the Dental Society, quoted the results of an American study, which claimed that 75 percent of cases of tooth erosion were attributed to fizzy drinks. Dr Bulbule said that children drank too many fizzy drinks and were also suffering from poor oral health due to the fact that they do not drink enough water.
Dr Michael Formenius said that there was a widespread lack of awareness of the importance of good oral health and the dangers associated with poor oral health. Dr Formenius claimed that education was poor and most people did not know how to care for their teeth and gums properly; many people are also unaware of the dangers associated with drinking fizzy drinks and eating sugary and acidic foods.
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