Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2020 Apr-Jun;10(2):171-174.
doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2020.04.011. Epub 2020 Apr 17.

Oral health concerns in India

Panchali Batra  1 , Pratap Saini  2 , Vijay Yadav  3
Affiliations

Oral health concerns in India

Panchali Batra et al. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2020 Apr-Jun.

Abstract

Oral health is an integral part of general health. There are many oral health issues which are of concern to India, despite having the maximum number of dental schools in the world. Dental caries, oral cancers and periodontal diseases are areas of national oral health concern. India lacks baseline data to know the exact prevalence of oral diseases, which is the first requirement to frame any national policies or manpower allocation. India is a vast country, nations within a nation, with great diversity in eating and behavioural practices. With a population of 1.21 billion and 68.84% of population residing in villages, the strategies need to be customised based on the population subgroup. Low level of awareness, strained and skewed infrastructure and resources, lack of motivation and research and oral health policies are some major factors that need to be tackled. This paper would attempt to highlight the oral health concerns of India, lacunae in the current system and possible strategies to address these issues.

Keywords: Dental caries in India; Oral cancers in India; Oral disease burden in India; Periodontal diseases in India; Prevalence of oral disease.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Johnson N.W., Glick M., Mbuguye T.N.L. Oral health and general health. Adv Dent Res. 2006;19(4):118–121. - PubMed
    1. Meurman J.H., Sanz M., Janket S.J. Oral health, atherosclerosis, and cardiovascular disease. Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 2004;15(6):403–413. - PubMed
    1. Boggess K.A., Edelstein B.L. Oral health in women during preconception and pregnancy: implications for birth outcomes and infant oral health. Matern Child Health J. 2006;10(5 Suppl):S169–S174. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Rowan-Legg A. Oral health care for children -a call for action. Paediatr Child Health. 2013;18(1):37–50. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gil-Montoya J.A., de Mello A.L., Barrios R., Gonzalez-Moles M.A., Bravo M. Oral health in the elderly patient and its impact on general well-being: a nonsystematic review. Clin Interv Aging. 2015;11(10):461–467. - PMC - PubMed