New Delhi: In a first in India, the Government has launched maiden one of its kind national digital platform on oral health information and knowledge dissemination, e-DantSeva, which will reach out to more than one billion people with one click on a dedicated website and mobile application. Not leaving behind the visually impaired, a Braille booklet and Voice over on Oral Health Education has also been released.
“Dental caries/cavities and periodontal disease remain the two most prevalent dental diseases of the Indian population and dental infections have a potential for serious diseases/infections,” said Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Dr Harsh Vardhan while launching the two oral health initiatives.
He further added that oral health is indispensable for the wellbeing and good quality of life. “Poor oral health affects growth negatively in all aspects of human development,” he said.
This initiative of the Ministry with AIIMS and other stakeholders aims to sensitize the public about the significance of maintaining optimum oral health and equips them with the tools and knowledge to do so, including awareness on the nearest oral health service facility. The website and mobile application provide oral health information gathered from authentic scientific resources and connect the public to timely advice for managing any dental emergency or oral health problem.
e-DantSeva contains information about the National Oral Health Program, detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material and a unique feature called the ‘Symptom Checker’, which provides information on symptoms of dental/oral health problems, ways to prevent these, the treatment modes, and also directs the user to find their nearest available dental facility (public and private sectors both). The website also provides GPRS route/images/satellite images of the facility for easier access to the general population.
National Oral Health Programme (NOHP) in its current form was introduced in 2014. The Center for Dental Education and Research (CDER), AIIMS, New Delhi functions as the National Center of Excellence for Implementation of NOHP. The Centre has been instrumental in providing consultation and support for the research and other activities for the National Oral Health Program.
Also present at the function were Smt. Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health) and Prof. Randeep Guleria, Director, AIIMS New Delhi, Dr O P Kharbanda, Chief, Centre for Dental Education and Research, AIIMS, Dr Ashok Dhoble, Secretary, Indian Dental Association and students and faculty from Blind Relief Association (BRA) along with other senior officers from the Health Ministry and faculty of AIIMS.
