Saudi Gazette The director general of the Jeddah Directorate of Health Affairs in Jeddah, Dr. Sami Ba-Dawood, announced on Saturday that the Ministry of Health has approved plans to build 200 new dental clinics in the Northern and Southern districts of Jeddah, at a total cost of SR 120 million. The announcement coincided with the week of heightened awareness and prevention of teeth and oral problems. Dr. Ba-Dawood called upon all government and private hospitals and health care facilities to conduct activities to celebrate the Oral and Dental Health Awareness Week that the Kingdom is participating in, along with its neighboring Gulf countries. He visited the Dental Center in King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah to commence the activities that the hospital is hosting to promote heightened awareness in the community regarding the health of the teeth, gums and mouth. The theme of the campaign for this year's Oral and Dental Health Awareness Week is: “Balance your nutritional intake to enjoy optimal oral health.” The activities sponsored by dental clinics and dental colleges across Jeddah aim to educate young children and their parents on the importance of regular brushing and eating healthy foods and snacks. Dental caries, tooth decay and tooth loss are preventable and can be avoided with proper oral hygiene and adequate nutrition. Dr. Ba-Dawood urged dental students, faculty, and dentists to use the local and social media to educate the general public on preventive measures against tooth decay and oral diseases. “A strategic plan to improve the health of the teeth and mouth in the Gulf population has been set in motion. The ministers of health from all the Gulf countries have convened and established steps to decrease the rates of dental caries and oral diseases in the region. Part of this plan included implementing a unified week dedicated to increasing the society's awareness of dental and oral health, with a surge of awareness activities during this week in all the Gulf countries. The last week of March has been selected as the Gulf Oral and Dental Health Awareness Week and will be celebrated every year,” said Dr. Fawzi Al-Ghamdi, the director general of the Dental Medicine Department at Jeddah Health Affairs. __
