Last year, upwards of 85,000 patients received care at Hamad Medical Corporation’s (HMC) dental clinics, undergoing a number of specialized services including periodontal care and implants, orthodontic services, prosthodontic procedures, oral surgery, and endodontic and restorative treatments. Each year thousands of patients benefit from specialized dental care provided by HMC’s Dental Health Service, including patients who require special needs dentistry and pediatric dentistry.
HMC’s Dental Health Service provides specialist dental care, specifically acute care that should be delivered in a hospital setting and is often not available elsewhere in the country. Hospital-based dentistry plays an important role in the delivery of oral healthcare, particularly for patients with special needs. Commenting on the service, Dr. Ghanim Al Mannai, Dental Service Chairman and Senior Consultant Endodontics at HMC said: “The Hamad Dental Service provides highly specialized dental care to adult and pediatric patients from all over Qatar. Much of this care is delivered through dental clinics located across HMC’s network of community hospitals, including Al Wakra Hospital, Al Khor Hospital, and The Cuban Hospital. Treatment is also offered at our main location, the Hamad Dental Center, which is located at Rumailah Hospital.”
Dr. Al Mannai continued: “Our dedicated and motivated team works closely with several other departments, including emergency, general surgery, and radiology, to provide dental and oral treatments for children and adults.”
The importance of dentistry and good oral health practices was highlighted during this year’s World Oral Health Day celebrations. To mark the occasion, on 20 March, the health sector-led National Oral Health Committee hosted a number of educational activities across Qatar, including Doha’s Hamad Dental Center. This year, the theme of World Oral Health Day was 'Say Ahh'. According to Dr. Al Mannai, the day provided an opportunity to highlight how and why oral health affects an individual’s overall health.
“A healthy mouth and a healthy body go hand in hand. This year’s campaign theme prompts people to recognize that good oral health affects their general health. It makes us stop and think about how one impacts the other,” said Dr. Al Mannai.
Dr. Mohammed Sultan Al Darwish, Consultant in Dental Public Health, explained there is often a link between oral diseases and other health conditions, with oral diseases often increasing one’s risk of developing a number of other diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory disease, and some cancers.
“Oral disease can impact every aspect of a person’s life, from their personal relationships to their confidence, to their ability to enjoy eating. Good oral hygiene habits start at an early age. Parents should look after their children’s oral health and encourage them to care for their teeth and gums,” said Dr. Al Darwish.
Dr. Najat Al Sayed, Divisional and Unit Chief, Orthodontics and Senior Dentistry Consultant, said oral health is multi-faceted and includes the ability to speak, smile, smell, taste, touch, chew, swallow, and convey a range of emotions through facial expressions with confidence.
“Brushing one’s teeth after each meal per day, flossing daily and consuming a healthy diet are simple things that can be done to protect a person’s oral health and overall well-being. It is also important to seek professional dental care as soon as an oral health problem arises,” Dr. Al Sayed added.
