Sharjah: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, 12 inmates at the Sharjah Punitive and Rehabilitation Centre received dental implants at a cost Dh9,000 per inmate.
The jail’s Ayadi committee shouldered the cost of the 64 dental implants carried out by 30 volunteers from the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI).
Prison inmates are most likely to suffer tooth loss due to decay, gum disease, or injury. Dental implants are replacement tooth roots that provide a strong foundation for fixed or removable replacement teeth.
The initiative, launched in February 2011, started with 11 inmates. Three years later, 54 inmates out of the 2,000 inmates in the age group of 20-60, have benefited from the initiative.
Gulf News visited the dental clinic inside the Sharjah Punitive and Rehabilitation Centre and found a group of volunteer dentists and nurses working diligently to improve the inmates’ dental health.
Colonel Ahmad Suhail, Director General of Sharjah Punitive and Rehabilitation Establishments, Director General of Sharjah Punitive Establishments Department, said: “This initiative is part of the humanitarian effort to improve the condition of inmates.”
Dr Suhail R. Hussaini, chairman of scientific committee, implant dentistry, who heads charitable efforts at the organisation, said each implant took between seven and 20 minutes with a success rate of 98 per cent.
Dr Jon B. Suzuki, president of ICOI, said: “I have never seen any jail launch a dental implant initiative. It’s a rare initiative.”
