AU Faculty Member Honored for Her Role in UAE’s First National Oral Health and Dental Diseases Survey

Another proud moment for AU as Associate Professor at Ajman University’s College of Dentistry, Dr. Raghad Hashim was honored for her contribution to the UAE’s First National Oral Health and Dental Diseases Survey.

 Dr. Raghad was awarded a trophy for her efforts and participation in the project by H.E. Dr. Hussain Al Rand, the Assistant Undersecretary at the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP), in a ceremony organized at the Etihad Museum on November 21, the official launch date of the project.

 Dr. Raghad is among only a few handpicked scholars nationwide who were selected to the Survey’s Foundation Committee based on their research and professional expertise.

 A first-of-its-kind and highly important national survey on oral health, UAE’s First National Oral Health and Dental Diseases Survey is a collaborative project involving the Ministry of Health, Emirates Health Services (EHS), Ajman University (AU), Sharjah University, Otago University (New Zealand), Hamdan Bin Mohammed Dental College, Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, and Dubai Health Authority.

 The World Health Organization (WHO) considers oral conditions, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, oral cancer, and dental trauma as significant public health problems that pose serious health issues and economic burden on governments and societies worldwide. In the United Arab Emirates, among all the diseases that affect children, oral disease, particularly early childhood caries, is the most prevalent. Existing evidence indicates that, despite improvement in the provision of oral health services, dental caries continues to be a national health problem.

 “There is a lack of sufficient nationwide representative data concerning the prevalence of oral diseases among children in UAE, which in turn may impede progress toward achieving oral health and prevention of these diseases,” said Dr. Raghad. “This survey will evaluate the oral health of children and adults in the United Arab Emirates by assessing the prevalence and severity of selected oral conditions and estimate the risk and protective factors associated with these oral health conditions. Additionally, it will provide policymakers with information that can be used to improve the oral health of the population and the overall oral health care system in the United Arab Emirates,” she added.

 Dr. Raghad is involved in designing the protocol and all the required steps to be taken in consideration for this survey; starting from formulating the objectives, methodology, calibration, and the training needed to ensure a high level of precision for this important public health project that spans across all the Emirates.