Qatar makes dental screening mandatory for young children

7 out of 10 6-year-olds in Qatar are suffering from dental caries Qatar's Supreme Council of Health (SCH) has announced a dental examination will be made compulsory starting from the next academic year for children's admission to kindergarten, Gulf Times has reported.
The decision was taken after the first National Oral Health Survey found that more than 50 percent of children aged 12-15 years and seven out of 10 children aged six years in Qatar were suffering from dental caries.
SCH Public Health department director, Dr Mohamed al-Thani said: "We are preparing the grounds for the National Oral Health Strategy which we hope to launch very soon. But with the findings of this survey, we hope to educate families on how to take care of their young children's dental health before they start schooling.
"We are going to ensure the implementation of oral screening for children before they start school and  we will like to caution parents to reduce their children’s sugar or sweets intake to further prevent gum or tooth decay," he added.
Another oral health survey will be conducted within the next five years to assess the country’s performance.