DUBAI // More than 500 labourers have been screened for oral hygiene and dental health issues as part of a Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum initiative launched last month.
The screenings were conducted at the Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine, the Wam news agency reported.
About 2,000 workers will receive oral hygiene screening by the end of the year in the first phase of the initiative to treat 600,000 workers.
Free screenings and subsequent treatment will be offered by the staff of the Dubai Dental Clinic, where residents of the Hamdan bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine college are also helping out with the programme.
The two-phase initiative has been organised by the college under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, the Crown Prince of Dubai, along with the Permanent Committee of Labour Affairs with the overall plan to improve the oral hygiene of workers.
The dental staff are carrying out the screenings twice a week during Ramadan.
Officials said workers initially responded in large numbers with about 100 workers screened every week after posters were put up in labour camps. The numbers had since dropped because of Ramadan but officials expect more labourers to come forward for screening at the end of the holy month.
The PCLA is responsible for selecting workers to undergo checks but other workers with dental concerns can also approach the college.
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