Superheroes wanted. Must have good teeth

Dentists could exploit the popularity of local superheroes to plug the benefits of good oral health.

In recent months we've seen not one, but three, preventive dental initiatives take root. From mobile clinics in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, to school-based dental programmes, it seems the region is finally tuning in to good oral care.

But for this epiphany to really take effect, there needs to be a fundamental change in social behaviour; namely the consumption of junk food. Much of the problem is tied into the obesity epidemic firmly in swing across the region.

At a time when the Middle East is at its richest; it is also at its fattest - and that same record consumption is fuelling its caries rates.

Modernisation and the encroachment of western culture is at least partly to blame. Supermarkets are packed with brightly coloured junk food, adorned with cartoon characters strategically designed to turn on your child's pester power.

Celebrity endorsements are another tactic. Remember the media marriage between Coca-Cola, McDonald's and the Olympics? Walkers Crisps is another offender - footballing hero Gary Linker has spent the best part of a decade clutching caries-inducing snacks. The Middle East's equivalent, Lays crisps, now looks to be following suit in its advertising campaigns.

For dental professionals, these endorsements pose a problem. Persuading a preschooler of the perils of sugar is tough enough; and it's borderline impossible when David Beckham is signed to the other side. Perhaps if we can't beat them, it's time to join them?

Call me naïve, but I see an opportunity to usurp celebrity endorsements and reinforce a positive message in a way that the region's children will relate to. There are some fantastic local icons to drive home that message. Picture it: a TV and in-clinic campaign featuring the quartet of gossipy grannies from Freej or the Emirati superhero, Ajaaj.

Initial steps to take dentistry into the region's schools are great, but they must go hand-in-hand with a draw that means young children don't see oral health as a chore. There needs to be some element of fun and reward involved.

If you still need persuading, take a tip from my childhood in the UK, when quintessentially British TV characters advised me to brush my teeth, not throw litter and to look both ways before crossing the road. Twenty-eight years on, I still do all three religiously.

James McCarthy is the editor of Middle East Dentist.

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