Composed by Harminder Singh Multani
The mouth serves as the body’s window. WHO considers oral and dental conditions a serious threat to public health that lowers quality of life by interfering with daily activities. Chronic, non-communicable diseases known as oral disorders cause pain and discomfort as well as the potential for lost work time, which has a detrimental effect on the economy as a whole. Low self-esteem and poor mental health have been linked to bad breath and misaligned teeth. More than 120 systemic diseases, including diabetes, endocarditis, and a higher risk of preterm delivery during pregnancy, are linked to oral health.
Unfortunately, general health is frequently prioritized over dental health in India, and as a result, the general public continues to maintain poor dental hygiene. Furthermore, the situation has been made worse by the increased dietary shift away from natural foods rich in fiber and toward sugary and artificial foods.
60 percent of Indians have dental caries, also known as tooth decay, while 85 percent of Indians have periodontal disease of some kind. Nearly 85% of school-aged children have dental decay, and 20% of Indians between the ages of 65 and 74 are toothless. Oral cancer incidence and related fatalities are rising along with the use of tobacco and related products. This picture urges patients to seek the necessary treatment and demonstrates the need for a strong health care policy in conventional dental practices.
Two important groups are largely to blame for the disregard for oral health. First, it’s a myth that most dental and oral issues are non-life threatening and don’t need to be attended to right away. Additionally, the treatment is frequently time- and money-consuming, preventing the patients from seeking professional assistance.
Second, even policymakers give oral health the lowest priority when creating policies, which shifts the focus away from dental problems. Additionally, the distribution of dentists in India is skewed, with a dentist to population ratio of 1: 10,000 in urban India as opposed to close to 1: 1,50,000 in rural areas.
However, the younger generation is gradually becoming more concerned about their oral hygiene and appearance as public awareness increases and the internet’s reach increases. The Indian dental care market is now worth USD 2 billion and is growing at an unprecedented 30 percent YOY, making it the fastest-growing dental market in the world. This is due to increased spending on health care and increased purchasing power per person. The increasing investments in Indian markets by nations like the USA and Germany will soon make India the largest single market in the world for dental products. 10% of medical travel to India is for dental purposes, and that percentage is expected to rise to 30% in the coming years. With close to 300 dental institutes and more than 5000 dental labs, the Indian dental market is sizable and equipped with the workforce to start a positive shift in oral health awareness. Dental insurance demand in India is expected to grow from $672.83 million in 2020 to $3,658.50 million in 2030, at a CAGR of 18.5 percent.
The Indian dental market has tremendous growth potential and is expected to grow by 20 to 30% in the coming years as investment groups and startups set up multispecialty hospitals offering general dental services. It is imperative to adapt to and make use of the enormous potential of the Indian dental market in order to mainstream dental services and lessen the burden on the general public’s oral health. A significant step toward streamlining dental services in India is the establishment of government-backed policies that oversee oral health, and a strong insurance system fully supports this goal. Ironically, 90 percent of the market in India is served by private care providers, making service standardization very difficult in a nation where health is a state concern.
In order to give the oral health condition in India the attention it merits, a two-pronged approach is necessary. The government must first step in and identify the trouble spots. To promote dental health in inaccessible and remote areas of the country, a sizable number of dental assistants and dental nurses can be trained and sent there. For such specialization, the government must fund training programs and license practitioners in order to maintain a strong and all-encompassing oral healthcare system. Every adult must be required to participate in the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT) program in order to detect dental issues at their earliest stages. To identify children’s dental problems early and lower the overall disease load, regular dental exams must be required at the school level.
In order to change the paradigm from curative to preventive dentistry, the care paradigm must move from a dentist-centered system to one that is community-centered and has effective oral health policies. To facilitate the patient’s social insurance and financial protection, patient demographics, treatment histories, and appointments can be maintained in a single cloud-based, government-supported platform. Increased dental visits will be encouraged by lower out-of-pocket costs, which will also help to lessen the burden of disease.
Concrete steps to promoting oral health care in India include increasing funding for the National Health Mission, appointing dentists to Primary Health Centers, and giving the state’s Oral Health Directorate more financial autonomy.
In order to create a strong oral health care policy that prioritizes dental and oral health, I firmly believe that there can be no overall health without oral health. As a result, I recognize the need to understand the various social, environmental, and economic determinants including age, demography, hygiene status, literacy, housing, and financial situations.
