Known as “Dubai Healthy Smiles”, the campaign was launched recently at a star-studded event at the Dubai Centre for Special Needs where it hopes to spread the message of leading an excellent level of oral health.
The CEO of Primary Health Care, His Excellency Ahmad Bin Kalban who launched the campaign, said “The aim of this campaign is to reach out to all sections of society, especially children and educate them about the importance of oral hygiene because they are more likely to carry these habits into adulthood. The campaign is in line with the DHA’s strategy to focus on preventative aspect of healthcare by conducting community awareness initiatives. We are pleased to launch this campaign at the Dubai Centre for Special Needs and are glad to partner with Signal in this regard.”
This campaign was also approved for by the Marketing Director from Unilever Gulf States, Kenneth Lingan: “We are delighted to partner with the Dubai Health Authority to educate consumers about oral-care and encourage a change in behaviour. Unilever is committed to encouraging people to look after their oral health. One way we do this is through our on-going school programmes where we teach children about dental hygiene and how to brush their teeth properly. We believe children can be strong agents of change. Our target is to reach 500,000 consumers by the end of 2011 through many initiatives across multiple touch points in the UAE.”
The Director of Dental Services at the DHA’s Primary Health Care Sector, Dr. Tariq Khoory, said: “This campaign is of crucial importance because we find that one of the main causes of dental problems arises because of the lack of awareness and therefore while we will pay special attention to children, we will also target other audiences like geriatric patients, because maintaining regular oral care is important for all ages in order to prevent dental problems such as dental decay and gum disease.”
Dr. Khoory also stressed one of the main messages this year’s campaign will pay attention to: Focusing on those in society who are medically compromised, such as those with diabetes, as they are more prone to gum disease and likely to suffer from dental problems. Mobile dental units will be provided as part of the campaign where they will be able to reach remote areas. These are due to be launched at the end of this year.
“The mobile units will be equipped with an x-ray section and will have other state-of-the-art facilities. The units will be designed to have a clinic set-up. We will use this unit to carry out our preventative services such as fluoride varnishing etc. as well as curative services such as basic caries restoration” said Dr. Khoory.
