AIIMS to lead largest pan-India oral health survey
New Delhi: The AIIMS Centre for Dental Education and Research will undertake the largest nationwide oral health survey this year in collaboration with the Ministry of Health to collect data that would act as a baseline for planning preventive and treatment strategies.
An expert committee comprising dentists representing various oral health specialities and health ministry officials met at the AIIMS to discuss sampling strategies, planning and timelines of the survey.
"The burden of oral diseases in India is enormous. The impact of oral diseases is irreversible when neglected. Pain due to decay leads to loss of school hours among children and severely impacts the quality of life. Lack of proper oral hygiene leads to severe gum diseases which is the biggest cause of tooth loss in India," the Chief of Centre for Dental Education and Research (CDER) at the AIIMS, Dr O P Kharbanda, said.
The survey aims to record specific, representative data on the most prevalent dental diseases in the country like dental decay, gum diseases, dentofacial deformities, cancerous lesions, dental fluorosis and dental trauma among others.
The plan is to ensure trained and calibrated oral health workforce examine the teeth following protocols in coherence with global guidelines to bring out an authentic data bank that acts as a baseline to plan preventive and treatment strategies, Dr Kharband said.