Doha
Aspetar - Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital has introduced, for the "first time in the Middle East", a first aid dental kit.
The kit has been developed by Dr Mohamed Alsaey, director of the Aspetar Sports Dentistry Department. Dr Alsaey holds the German board certification in oral surgery and a UK sports dentistry diploma.
The first aid dental kit is a unique initiative of Aspetar, enabling competent pain relief and treatment of oral and dental injuries in athletes on the field and far away from a hospital or dentistry unit, according to a statement.
The dental kit was introduced at a special workshop organised by Aspetar for club and federation doctors in Qatar through the National Sports Medicine Programme. Dr Alsaey and his team explained and demonstrated the use of the dental kit on models. Each doctor then received a personal kit.
A purposeful design has been chosen for the kit to include a number of drugs and instruments to allow for treatment of the most frequent oral and dental injuries in athletes during competition and training.
The kit contains carefully selected, highly specific items that help protect athletes’ teeth after an injury and keep them pain-free until they reach a hospital or dentist for definite treatment.
Dr Alsaey said, “This is a big step in sports dentistry. A lot of athletes are prone to oral and dental injuries in their sport, in addition to fractures of the jaw or cuts in the tissues of the mouth, often accompanied by severe pain. This dental kit will be a first aid that relieves pain and increases the prospect of complete healing of these injuries.”
The dental kit is expected to contribute significantly to improving care and protect the dental health of athletes, especially as most doctors of clubs and federations out in the field are not trained in treating dental injuries, the statement adds.
Careful attention has been paid to not include medications containing substances on the prohibited list of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
It is planned to further distribute the new Aspetar dental kit among the GCC countries in order to help athletes with oral and dental problems and any resulting pain they might face during training or competition far away from a dental specialist’s care.
