Gambhir Ramandeep Singh, Kaur Amanpreet, Singh Arshdeep, Sandhu Anmol Rattan Singh, Dhaliwal Angad Prakash Singh
Department of Public Health Dentistry, Rayat and Bahra Dental College and Hospital, Mohali, Punjab, India.
Private Practitioner, Amloh, Punjab, India.
J Family Med Prim Care. 2016 Oct-Dec;5(4):747-751. doi: 10.4103/2249-4863.201155.
Oral diseases are a major public health problem, and their burden is on increase in many low- and middle-income countries. Dental public health (DPH) aims to improve the oral health of the population through preventive and curative services. However, its achievements in India are being questioned probably because of lack of proficiency and skill among DPH personnel. The literature search for the present study was conducted utilizing various search engines and electronic databases such as PubMed and MEDLINE. Documents related to the Central and State Governments of India were also considered. Finally, 26 articles were selected for the present study from which relevant information can be extracted. The present study focuses on some of the important aspects relating to DPH in India such as priority for oral health, DPH workforce and curriculum, utilization of DPH personnel in providing primary oral health care, role of mobile dental vans, and research in DPH. It was concluded that more attention should be given toward preventive oral health care by employing more number of public health dentists in public sector, strengthening DPH education and research, and combining oral health programs with general health-care programs.
口腔疾病是一个重大的公共卫生问题，在许多低收入和中等收入国家，其负担正在加重。牙科公共卫生（DPH）旨在通过预防和治疗服务改善人群的口腔健康。然而，其在印度的成果受到质疑，这可能是因为DPH人员缺乏专业知识和技能。本研究通过使用各种搜索引擎和电子数据库（如PubMed和MEDLINE）进行文献检索。与印度中央和邦政府相关的文件也被纳入考虑。最后，为本研究选择了26篇文章，从中可以提取相关信息。本研究关注印度DPH的一些重要方面，如口腔健康的优先事项、DPH劳动力和课程、DPH人员在提供初级口腔保健中的利用、流动牙科车的作用以及DPH研究。研究得出结论，应通过在公共部门雇佣更多的公共卫生牙医、加强DPH教育和研究以及将口腔健康项目与一般医疗保健项目相结合，更加关注预防性口腔保健。
