RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the Kingdom’s newly appointed health minister, launched yesterday a preventive dental medicine program with the deployment of 49 mobile dental clinics nationwide.
“The program is being launched considering the importance of dental health,” said the minister during an event to announce the opening of the project.
“It is a major concern of my ministry since 90 percent of schoolchildren have tooth decay,” he said.
The minister called upon medical personnel to contribute effectively to make the program a big success.
The mobile dental care units will be set up in 20 health regions and its officials will coordinate with nearby schools to send their students for regular checkups and treatment.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Rafii, director general of dental medicine at the Ministry of Health, said there are now 2,001 ministry-run dental clinics in the Kingdom. “To cope with the population growth, we are in the process of opening more such clinics to serve the people,” he added.
Rafii said these mobile units would institute a campaign to reach mothers and children and would raise awareness about the importance of regular dental checkups.
“Awareness programs will be conducted not only in schools but also in shopping malls and amusement parks during school holidays,” he said.
