Doha 06 April 2015- For the first time in the Middle East, Aspetar, Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital has introduced a first aid dental kit that has been developed by Dr Mohammed Alsaey, Director of 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. A purposeful design was 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. This small-size kit of only 20cm length and 20cm width contains carefully selected, highly specific items that help to protect athletes’ teeth after an injury and keep them pain free until they arrive at a hospital or dentist for definite treatment. Dr Mohammed Alsaey, Director of Sport Dentistry Department at Aspetar said:

“This is a big step in Sports Dentistry, because dental injuries were not considered enough so far. 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 dramatically to improve care and protect dental health of athletes, especially since most of the doctors of clubs and federations out in the field are not trained in treating dental injuries. A classical first aid bag does not usually include items to treat oral and dental injuries which is why Aspetar’s new dental kit extremely useful. Careful attention has been paid to not include medications containing substances on the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency. The dental kit was introduced at a special workshop organised by Aspetar for the club and federation doctors in Qatar through the National Sports Medicine Programme. Dr Alsaey and his team explained and practically demonstrated the use of the dental kit on models. Each doctor then received his own personal kit. 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 dental specialist care.