Within the efforts and various specialties of the hospitals which the Ministry of Health (MOH) prepared to serve the Hajj performers in Makkah, Madinah, and the Holy Sites in Arafat and Mina, the dental services distinguished with the extreme care in terms of the Hajj performer cases received.
Meanwhile, Dr. Mihad Abdullah bin Salah, a dentist at the dentistry of the Mina Emergency Hospital, affirmed that the clinic receives daily 20-50 and sometimes 80 dental cases among pilgrims during a single shift, lasting for twelve straight hours.
Dr. Mihad went on pointing out that these cases are not restricted to specific nationalities or linked to specific age groups, but it includes almost all the pilgrims with all their age groups. He also made clear that these cases include aches, dental caries, gingivitis as a result of age or dislocation factors, and tooth break resulting from falling and others.
And he added that the services provided by the clinic include the services of dealing with toothache emergency cases, dental nerve treatment, and filling-giving, and gum treatment for the Hajj performers. This is through fully-equipped clinic; as such the dental stool and the X-ray device are of the latest devices. Also, in the clinic, all the fillings necessary for treating dental caries, gingivitis and dental nerves treatment are available. In addition to this, there is the possibility of completing the treatment later at any of the Makkah's or Madinah's hospitals during the Hajj pilgrims' presence in the Kingdom.
In addition to dental treatment, the clinic presents health educational sessions for the patient before starting their treatment if their cases allow for that; otherwise educational sessions follow the treatment. Such educational sessions focus on identifying the patient with the correct ways of taking care of teeth, ways of keeping the mouth in a healthy condition, the proper usage for toothpastes, toothbrushes, and tooth threads; and how to complete their dental treatment.
For his part, Dr. Abdullah Al-Shahri, a dentist at the same clinic, said that most of the cases which frequent the clinic are emergency ones. Thus, the Hajj performer arrives from their country to perform the Hajj rites, and all of a sudden, and while they are at Mina or Arafat, they feel toothache. So, they come to the clinic for treatment; and the clinic provides the swift treatment for such cases, to the effect that the aches disappear and the Hajj performer goes complete their Hajj rituals, Allah willing.
And he went on adding that "we look on providing this treatment not only as a patriotic treatment but also a religious duty, as those who we treat are the Hajj performers. And the most remarkable thing is that we do not keep a file number for any Hajj performer or distinguish them by their nationality. The only basis we take into account when providing the treatment is his being a Hajj performer, as such a status makes them apt to be taken care of and be treated regardless of any other consideration in terms of age, nationality, and country."
Hence, both Dr. Mihad and Dr. Abdullah unanimously stated that most of the dental treatment cases of the Hajj performer patients pray for them and smile at them. They said further that they take pride on these two things and look on them as an enough reward for what they have done.