‘Advancing Oral Health in India – The Oral Health Collaborative Network’ Conclave

New Delhi [India], October 4: The Conclave on “Advancing Oral Health in India – The Oral Health Collaborative Network” was hosted by Centre for Dental Education & Research, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on 29th September 2024, in collaboration with IDA, supported by Haleon. It brought together over 100 experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from varied backgrounds to discuss critical issues in Oral Health, focusing on school Oral Health, policy framework, and unified data collection.

Coinciding with World Heart Day, the event emphasized the significance of Oral Health and aimed to draw attention to the fact that, while heart health is important, Oral Health–being a more widespread issue is often neglected. While Cardiovascular disease burden affects 7.5% [1] of the Indian population, poor oral health (periodontal disease) impacts nearly 51% [2] of Indians, making it an urgent public health concern that requires immediate and sustained attention.

The experts engaged in critical discussions on the gaps in Oral healthcare access, awareness, and empowerment across India. The gathering focused on developing a sustainable and systematic action plan aimed at reducing Oral Health morbidity through improved access, education, and advocacy.

Dr. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member, NITI Aayog, delivered the keynote address to reinforce the importance of oral health as a fundamental part of the national health agenda and without Oral Health Care, Universal Health Care (UHC) cannot be achieved. He gave several key pointers for the experts to think and come back with several ideas in Oral Health care, community based and mobile dental unit-based models and future of dental research. He also highlighted the contribution of AIIMS, in particularly CDER in taking initiatives for enhancing Oral Health care, education and awareness, further highlighting the growing recognition of Oral Health as a critical priority.

Mrs. Punya Salila Srivastava OSD in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare gave an overview about the initiatives taken by Ministry in Oral Health and promised to take the agenda forward in future. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare detailed the initiatives on Oral Health and future plans and also gave details about fund allocation for Oral Health.

The Conclave’s agenda focused on four key themes:

• Childhood Education as a Preventive Strategy: Emphasizing the need for early education to prevent lifelong burden of oral health conditions, the discussions explored newer ways on educating children about oral hygiene as a cornerstone of public health.
• Oral health policy framework roadmap to 2030: Experts debated the application of successful global policies in India to shape a more robust oral health policy that addresses local challenges.
• Oral Health Data Collection in India: The participants identified gaps in data collection related to oral health and proposed a comprehensive framework to build a robust and reliable data collection system.
• Public-Private Partnerships: Exploring collaboration opportunities between the public and private sectors to improve service delivery and resource mobilization in oral health care. Dr. Ritu Duggal, Chief of the Centre for Dental Education and Research at AIIMS, said, “It is imperative that we elevate the importance of oral health education, awareness, and preventive measures, particularly for our youth, to effectively combat the rising prevalence of oral diseases in the country.
• This effort was focused on creating a common platform for researchers, academicians, clinicians, policy makers and Chiefs of dental colleges across the country. Our hope is to foster a common dialogue and finding common objectives we can work on together to address the disparities in access to oral health in India. We look forward to continuing this journey beyond todays gathering and bring more focus to oral health.” Navneet Saluja, General Manager of Haleon (Formerly GSK Consumer Healthcare) India Subcontinent, said, “Oral Health is closely linked to our overall health and well-being, yet it often doesn’t receive the attention it deserves. Its economic and personal implications are significant, particularly in a country like India.
• The Oral Health Collaborate Network, a scientific initiative supported by Haleon, serves as a platform for fostering dialogue, collaboration, and action toward achieving better Oral Health for all. We are proud of this initiative which reflects our commitment to transforming Oral Healthcare in India through improved access, increased awareness, and empowerment.” This initiative not only advocates for policies that prioritize Oral Health but also focuses on building capabilities and activating networks across sectors with a common goal. With this meeting, the Oral Health Collaborative Network aimed further discussion on fostering research, technology development, and partnership building to advance Oral Healthcare access and outcomes. References:

1. Jan, Bisma, Dar, Mohammad Imran, Choudhary, Bharti, Basist, Parakh, Khan, Rahmuddin, Alhalmi, Abdulsalam, Cardiovascular Diseases Among Indian Older Adults: A Comprehensive Review, Cardiovascular Therapeutics, 2024, 6894693, 18 pages, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1155/2024/6894693
2. Janakiram C, Mehta A, Venkitachalam R. Prevalence of periodontal disease among adults in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2020 Oct-Dec;10(4):800-806. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2020.10.016. Epub 2020 Oct 27. PMID: 33204609; PMCID: PMC7649635.