Over one hundred patients received free oral dental check-up during a campaign that was organised by Oshen King Faisal last week.

The campaign which was held under the theme ‘the importance of taking care of our oral cavity is not limited to the mouth, but goes beyond the entire body’ was held to sensitize people on the relevance of maintaining oral health.

Dr. Tecian Musafiri an orthodontist specialist at Oshen King Faisal hospital said that this activity was basically about prevention and assessment.

The patients received consultation for free some were given medical prescriptions while others were given appointments where they will be able to receive treatment.

"This was more of creating awareness; we want to teach people how they can take care of not only their teeth but the oral cavity, how they can prevent oral diseases because majority of them can be prevented yet at times people come to us when the condition is beyond repairable.” Musafiri said.

He pointed out that people need to understand that oral health is not limited to the mouth but goes to the entire body.

"Oral cavity is related to different parts of the body. Majority of the conditions we receive in dental clinics are related to other department like cardiology, this is why it is important to teach people about this such that they know how relevant oral health is.”

During the check-up Musafiri noticed that the common condition was poor oral hygiene because majority of the people had periodontitis.

Periodontitis is a serious gum infection that damages gums and can destroy the jawbone.

Other oral diseases include dental cavities (hole in the tooth), infectious diseases, and malocclusion (a dental condition where the teeth are misaligned in such a way that the upper and lower jaws do not close properly) among others.

24-year-old Joanna Gatare took part in the campaign. She said she learnt a lot and now understands why she needs to take good care of her oral hygiene.

"I received check-up; luckily my teeth were in good health apart from one which is chipped but the dentist told me it will be fixed. However now I know I have to brush at least three times a day and will also have regular check-ups to keep myself in good health,” Gatare said.

Andrea Malet the corporate social responsibility manager at Oshen King Faisal said the activities were also part of a drive aiming at improving the quality of services provided at the hospital.

"Today’s event was focused on outpatients that came in for consultation and other services. The focus was on education about all the illnesses that the patients could have if they don’t have good dental health,” Malet said.

"Patients were called on to receive dental check-up and all that has to do with dental education to prevent complications but also to let them meet our dental department and experience the great services offered. From now on we will be having different campaigns that will be focusing on prevention,” she added.