Oral and Maxillofacial Afflictions in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries

Abstract

Dental caries is the leading oro-dental disease. However apart from this infectious disease leading to the demineralization of dentition, there are other oral and maxillofacial afflictions such as oral mucosal lesions including precancerous and cancerous lesions, periodontal diseases, and oral maxillofacial trauma. All these oral and maxillofacial afflictions contribute significantly to the global burden of oral diseases. Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) is the political, cultural, social, and economic alliance of six countries that border the Arabian/Persian Gulf-Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman. Notwithstanding the economic prosperity in GCC countries, the incidence and prevalence of oral and maxillofacial afflictions is very high. These afflictions cause a considerable impairment of the quality of life of sufferers and exert a substantial burden on the healthcare economics of the GCC countries. Oral and maxillofacial afflictions pose a considerable healthcare challenge in the Gulf region. This chapter presents the various aspects and factors associated with some of the oral and maxillofacial afflictions in the Gulf countries.