The key facts
- The programme was announced by the UAE Ministry of Health and Prevention, the Ministry of Education and Emirates Health Services
- The check-ups are free and aim at the early detection of tooth decay, gum disease and other conditions
- Families can have their children checked at public EHS centres or at private medical facilities
Free check-ups for preschoolers
The United Arab Emirates has launched a programme of free oral and dental check-ups for kindergarten children. The initiative was announced on Friday by the Ministry of Health and Prevention in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Emirates Health Services (EHS). As The National notes, the ministry emphasises that the country's healthcare system places a strong focus on prevention and the early detection of diseases.
What will be checked and where to go
The check-ups focus on the early detection of tooth decay, gum disease and other conditions that can affect a child's health, development and ability to learn. Families will be able to take their children both to public medical centres operated by EHS and to private healthcare facilities.
A focus on prevention from an early age
“The project reflects a national vision that invests in prevention as the most effective foundation for building a healthier society in the long term,” said Dr Hussain Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector. According to him, caring for oral health from the preschool years helps form habits that children will keep for life, and families play a key role in this, combined with the efforts of the health and education sectors. This, he added, should help raise healthier generations, improve quality of life and enhance the nation's health indicators in line with global best practices.
Context: attention to children's health
The National's report comes amid a broader discussion of health protection measures in the country: earlier, the same outlet reported, citing experts, that the UAE's new sugar tax is aimed at the 'root cause' of rising health problems. The dental check-up programme fits into this preventive course: it shifts the system's focus from treating diseases that have already developed to detecting them early in preschool children — that is, it reaches families with children in kindergartens at public institutions.
