DENTAL CARE IN PALESTINE
We work to improve the health, education, and well-being of vulnerable children in Palestine through preventive dental care. Local partnerships and national health plans are also central to our efforts.
In a preliminary examination conducted in the West Bank in 2014, Dental Health Without Borders found that 45% of all screened children between the ages of 6 and 12 suffered from toothaches. Tooth pain leads to poor well-being, high school absenteeism, and a bleak future.
At Dental Health Without Borders, we are dedicated to improving these conditions and providing better dental health for children in Palestine by promoting preventive dental care in the country. We do this by establishing basic school dental care at selected project schools, where students, teachers, and parents are educated about the importance of dental health, and where daily toothbrushing becomes a part of the school schedule.
The project is called ASMA – an Arabic abbreviation for “Healthy Teeth, Better Future.” It is implemented with funding from Danida through CISU. The project is carried out in collaboration with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), a nationwide Palestinian NGO with 30 years of experience in the health sector.
As part of our long-term development work, we send volunteer dental professionals from Denmark every year, who travel to help some of the many children in dire need of urgent dental treatment. Additionally, we collaborate with Al-Quds University School of Dentistry, where students receive lectures on preventive dental care and are trained in emergency dental treatment in the field, as well as preventive dental health at schools and in local communities.
In Palestine, together with PMRS, we have initiated the establishment of a national dental health committee, which has been embraced by the Palestinian Ministry of Health. We support and advise the committee in developing Palestine’s first dental health strategy. The goal is to create a basic national school dental care program for all Palestinian children.
These specific, simple measures have contributed to a positive difference in a short period: An evaluation from 2019 shows that our toothbrushing programs have had a positive impact on the well-being of children in our project schools. The number of children with toothaches decreased by 57% over the course of 3 years. There were 87% fewer cases of gum inflammation and 39% fewer cases of caries. This resulted in a 19% reduction in school absenteeism during the same period. Our research also shows that children achieve better learning and well-being – thus paving the way for a better life.
