Dental Public Health Education And Workforce

In the recent years, dental problems have been on a mercurial rise. Lack of proper knowledge and awareness (especially in the rural areas) makes the situation even worse. Dental problems can affect anyone, irrespective of their age and sex. Proper measures should be taken to deal with the problem effectively. People should be educated and made aware of the importance of practicing a good oral hygiene and dental care. In this regard, the Dental Public Health Education becomes very important.

As the name suggests, the dental public health work towards educating the people (in rural as well as urban areas) about oral and dental hygiene. It comes up with various campaigns, health camps and awareness programs (mostly government funded) to help people take care of their and their loved one's dental health. The aim of the dental public health work is to reach out to and, in the process, extend help to a wider mass.

In some of the campaigns, the dentists reach out to the children (in schools and colleges) and explain them the importance of a good dental health and the healthy dental practices they need to follow. Few of the initiatives and awareness programs have indeed been of great help to people.

The Dental Public health workers and specialists work on the competencies as directed by the Indian Dental Association, some of which are being mentioned below:

1. Organizing and managing oral health campaigns and programs.
2. Extensive research to deal with oral health problems of the public.
3. Communicate with people regarding the various dental and oral health problems
4. Measure the status of oral health through effective surveillance systems.
5. Address individual (as well as population) oral health issues effectively.
6. Promote and protect public oral health through public health regulations, policy, and legislation.

The Dental public health is thus, a non-clinical speciality, whereby trained and experienced workers works effortlessly to improve the oral health of communities rather than individuals. It is a broader term that touches upon the different aspects of dental and oral health (causes, symptoms, treatment, prevention, and precaution).

Advantages of the Dental Public Health Education:

The dental public health education and workforce are indeed a blessing that comes with a lot of oral health benefits:

1. The dental public health (DPH) has helped create awareness, thereby lowering the incidences of tooth decay and plaque formation greatly.
2. It has brought about a remarkable improvement in the overall health of the people.
3. The DPH has successfully held campaigns and oral health camps in areas that have been left unattended and neglected for long.
4. Campaigns organized in schools help children and their families to practice healthy oral hygiene.
5. The action is at a community level so that maximum people can benefit from the programs and campaigns. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a Dentist.