Abu Dhabi: As most of the residents do not have insurance cover for dental treatment, some patients try over-the-counter medicines to save money and wait until their condition gets worse, a dentist said.
Then they will need costlier treatment and face higher risks, Dr Nizar Abdul Rahman, chief dental surgeon and director of Baniyas Ahalia Medical Centre.
“Never wait like that. New studies suggest oral hygiene even affects the heart,” he said.
He said many patients among Asian workers carry along their homegrown superstitions. As many of them are uneducated or even illiterate, some of them take the company of an educated worker while visiting the dentist. “I can identify the educated man easily as he keeps a pen in his pocket, which is not common among them. As a ‘leader’ he will talk to the doctor and take a decision on the treatment on behalf of the patient who will remain silent,” he explained.
His wife Dr Simi Nizar is working at Eastern Ahalia Medical Centre in Baniyas, which caters to the adjacent workers’ accommodations, and she has more opportunity to interact with workers. Some South Asian workers ask: “When the tooth is removed, will it affect the eyesight?” This is believed to be a superstition prevalent in some South Asian villages.
“We often have a hard time to convince them that that’s not true,” she said.
