Al-Jazeera – Khaled Al-Harthy
The awareness and educational exhibition held by Irada and Mental Health Complex in Riyadh, on the occasion of the World Oral and Dental Health Day and the Gulf Oral and Dental Health Week, revealed that health statistics showed that 9 out of 10 children in Saudi Arabia suffer from caries.
The head of the dental department at the complex, Dr. Yahya bin Muhammad Al-Shahrani, stated that 98% of parents neglect the dental hygiene of their children in the early stages of their life, and that the rate of caries among children in schools reached 93%. Indicating that 80% of children under the age of six do not brush their teeth regularly.
Dr. Al-Shahrani warned of infant caries resulting from the use of feeding bottles at bedtime. This is because giving children a sugary solution when they sleep reduces salivation. This leads to the solution remaining for a long time, which causes the formation of caries-causing bacteria. Hence the early tooth loss.
He called for brushing the child’s teeth using a clean, wet cloth around the mother’s finger, and giving the child some water while breastfeeding following drinking milk to remove sugars, and keep the remaining solution away from the teeth.
Dr. spoke. Al-Shahrani talked regarding the health problems suffered by mental and addiction patients in the complex, during the inauguration of the exhibition, which was inaugurated by Dr. Jamal bin Abdullah Al-Anzi, assistant for therapeutic services in the complex. It aims to provide awareness and education for patients and their families regarding oral and dental health. Indicating that the biggest problem observed in these patients is the lower temporomandibular disorder, which affects the muscles and joints of the jaw and the nerves responsible for chronic facial pain, and its symptoms may appear on one or both sides of the face, or on the head or jaw. Noting that women are infected with it more than men.
He explained that the symptoms of the disorder are ear and jaw pain, difficulty opening or closing the mouth, pain in the jaw when chewing or yawning, or stiffness, and crackling when opening or closing the mouth. Treating this disorder by resting the joint, taking pain-relieving medications, and practicing relaxation techniques from pressure and stress.