The number of oral surgeries conducted in the Kingdom, according to the Ministry of Health, rose by 47.26 percent to 21,208 from 10,024 over a four-year period, according to a recent report. The report, which covered the period 1429-1433, found that the number of visits to dental clinics affiliated to the Ministry of Health amounted to 1,338,884 in 1433.

In 1432, the number of dental clinics in the Kingdom under the Ministry reached 2,408, including 1,405 inside government-run medical centers and 468 in hospitals. The report said the number of jaw and teeth surgeries which were conducted amounted to 10,024 in 1429, and rose to 12,793 in 1430. After a slight decline in 1431 and 1432, the number of surgeries is on the rise again, with 12,208 in 1433.

The Riyadh region had the highest number of oral surgeries in 1433 at 3,505 surgeries, followed by Makkah (2,891), the Eastern Region (2,260), Asir (1,567), Qasim (541), Hail (374), Jouf (293), Medina (279), Baha (189), Najran (183), Jizan (72), and Tabuk (43), the report said.

Nagwa Mousa, a medical expert, said a number of factors have possibly contributed to the increasing rates of dental clinic visits, including poor hygienic practices where many people forget to brush their teeth after meals, notably after dinner. She noted that many patients visit dental clinics only after the emergence of problems.

She called for routine medical check-ups to ensure that doctors can recommend preventive actions before a problem could develop into a serious case.