PHCC launches National Adult Oral Health Screening Service
THE Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has launched the National Adult Oral Health Screening Service in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
The national screening services is primarily concerned with preventing oral disease and promoting oral health as part of a range of dental screening programmes in Qatar, including Beautiful Smiles and the National School Oral Health Programme provided by PHCC.
The service will specifically target the Qatari adult population, those aged 18 and above at its first phase, to include regularly scheduled oral health screening to avert the patient developing serious dental problems and complaints.
Eligible client for oral health screening, with or without symptoms, will have regular oral health screening that will support early detection of oral disease and provide oral health awareness to prevent future problems.
The screening programme will be an opportunity for patients to raise any oral health concerns for early diagnosis to ensure patient are well informed of the best oral health care and provide evidencebased preventive advice.
As the services is provided by PHCC, this will ensure a patient-centred care approach to support the patient’s personal health history as oral health issues are often related and exacerbated by other medical conditions, e.g. diabetes.
During the screening, dentist will review the patient’s medical history, followed by examination and a comprehensive assessment. The dentist will evaluate the patients overall oral health and either discharge them until the next scheduled oral health screening appointment or if oral disease has been diagnosed, refer for onward care and treatment.
Dr Mariam Abdul Malik, managing director at PHCC, said: “Globally, health screening has been accepted as an important preventative role against disease. Preventive dental health screening aims to facilitate early diagnosis and treatment, therefore improving quality of life for our communities.
“While emergency and restorative interventions can stop disease, they cannot restore the natural tooth and gum tissue lost because of it. The most cost-effective way to ensure optimal dental health is through prevention and education.”
Dr Samya Ahmad Al Abdulla, executive director of Operations at PHCC, said: “Continuity of care is an important part of any health plan and oral health is no exception. Keeping your mouth healthy is an essential piece of your overall health. The screening programme will not only allow us to understand the oral health challenges in Qatar but help us to identify and improve oral health in the community, effectively reducing the risk of poor oral health among this group.
“It will also provide us the opportunity to share comprehensive oral health education, for example, your diet and the way you look after your teeth play an important role in preventing or promoting tooth decay. These early assessments will ensure preventive and early restorative care.”