Dr. Mohamed Sultan al-Darwish has recently published reports in a few international journals of what he finds to be the top oral health issue in Qatar. Dr. al-Darwish conducted research on 2,113 students in 12 government schools and 4 private schools and found that 85 percent of the students had some form of tooth decay. The students were equally boys and girl. His study was conducted with the help of four other dentists and six trained dental assistance for data entry and was part of Dr. al-Darwish’s research for his PhD at the University of Gloucestershire in the UK.

Dr. al-Darwish notes that the instances of tooth decay in these children are far above the recommended levels issued by the World Heath Organization (WHO). In addition to assessing tooth decay, the study also investigated the oral health knowledge of the students, any teeth irregularity, and some of their lifestyles habits such as TV viewing, Internet use, passive smoking and diet. They found that about 36 percent of the students were exposed to passive smoking, meaning that someone they see on a daily basis, like a parent smoked. Also, 99.5 percent of the children ate or drank something sugary every day like candy, soft drinks, chocolate, ice cream and cookies between meals. They found that girls were more likely to experience tooth decay than boys and that children in the private school had better oral health than those in the government schools. Children who consumed mile, tea, or chewed gum in between meals showed fewer signs of tooth decay.

The WHO may be using the results from this Qatar study to compare similar information with other parts of the world and come up with some solutions. Dr. al-Darwish’s study presents a solution that recommends raising the children’s oral health by educating parents and teachers. Dr. al-Darwish says, “parents and school teachers should be invited regularly for presentations on oral and general health.” If school-based oral health programs were put in place and full time dental hygienists were on school staffs, the oral health of these children would improve dramatically.