Al Wakra Hospital (AWH), a member of Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC),
has opened the first of its kind specialized dental clinic for people
with special needs.
Speaking about the clinic, Dr. Abdulhakim
Ahmad Al Yafei, Consultant Pediatric and Special Needs Dentistry and
Head of Dentistry Department at AWH said: “This is the first time in the
Middle East that such a clinic, which caters to both children and
adults with special needs, has been established. This specially designed
facility provides a more accessible and accommodating service that is
intended to be less stressful for patients and provides an ideal
alternative to regular dental clinics.” He said patients do not need a
referral to take advantage of the specialized dental care at this new
clinic.
According to him, the new clinic is equipped with
state-of-the-art medical equipment, which meets global standards, and is
staffed with a medical team comprising three consultants and two
specialists. The clinic provides oral and dental healthcare such as
tooth extraction, filling and implants, in addition to orthodontics,
prosthodontics and treatment of caries and gingivitis.
Dr. Al
Yafei explained that the new clinic has a specially designed door which
is wide enough to allow access to patients with mobility impairment. The
clinic is also equipped with a special lifting apparatus, which can
lift an object up to 400 kg in weight, thus enabling treatment of
patients while they are seated on their wheelchairs.
“A
full-fledged operation room has been set up to receive patients once a
week for dental care under general anesthesia. This room is utilized for
radiology imaging under general anesthesia for those patients who
experience difficulty when they undergo radiology imaging. The new
clinic also allows patients to receive care from physicians of various
specialties, as may be necessary for their cases,” Dr Al Yafei said.
Dr.
Ohoud Al Kuwari, Dentist at AWH said: “Our hospital is receiving more
children with special needs because we found that about 30 percent of
all children seeking dental care were special needs children and hence
we concluded there was a real need to open a special clinic dedicated to
these patients.”
“The clinic also allows those unable to clean
their teeth independently the chance of having a dental cleaning and
treatment procedure, under general anesthesia, every six months,” said
Dr. Al Kuwari adding that there are plans to increase dental specialties
available at the clinic to include other specialties such as
periodontics and dental nerve treatment required by patients with
epilepsy who may need frequent removal of their gums and cleaning of
their dental nerve.
He added that the hospital plans to
coordinate with various schools to facilitate their students with
special needs to avail of the specialist dental services offered.
