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Review
. 2025 May 11;17(5):e83873.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.83873. eCollection 2025 May.

Mobile Dental Clinics: Bringing Smiles on Wheels

Minal Kshirsagar  1 , Arun Dodamani  2 , Sandeep Pimpale  3 , Sanpreet S Sachdev  4 , Dipooja Patil  5 , Mahesh Ghadage  6 , Uttam Shetty  7 , Hritika Khobrekar  4
Affiliations
Review

Mobile Dental Clinics: Bringing Smiles on Wheels

Minal Kshirsagar et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

The present narrative review explores the role and impact of mobile dental clinics in improving access to oral healthcare for underserved populations in India. The primary objective is to assess how mobile dental services bridge the gap in dental care delivery between urban and rural regions by addressing geographical, financial, and informational barriers. Mobile dental units (MDUs), equipped with diagnostic and treatment facilities, extend comprehensive care, including oral examinations, hygiene education, preventive treatments, and basic restorative procedures to remote and marginalized communities. These clinics function as community outreach platforms, often operated by dental colleges and public health programs, to promote oral health awareness and provide cost-effective care. Mobile dental units demonstrate higher reach and engagement than stationary clinics, contributing significantly to improved oral health outcomes among target populations. Governmental and institutional support through policy initiatives and public-private partnerships further enhances the scalability and sustainability of such services. This review underscores the growing potential of mobile dentistry in India and calls for continued innovation, strategic planning, and technological integration to ensure equitable and inclusive oral healthcare delivery.

Keywords: community outreach; mobile dental clinics; preventative dental treatments; public-private collaboration; rural oral healthcare.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Components of a workstation in a mobile dental van
Image courtesy: Author Sanpreet S. Sachdev
Figure 2
Figure 2. Beneficiaries of our institute's MDU under the National Service Scheme
MDU: Mobile dental unit Graph created by Author Sanpreet S. Sachdev
Figure 3
Figure 3. Proposed model for a solar-powered dental van with an intergrated healthcare monitoring smartphone app
Image courtesy: Author Sanpreet S. Sachdev
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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