World Oral Health Day:Regular Check Up Must for Dental Health-IDA President

By 121 News

Chandigarh 20^th March:- The Institute of Dental Sciences, Panjab University and the eminent dentists from the tricity and faculty members and students from PGI came together for a Walkathon today at the Sukhna Lake to spread awareness about the oral health and its impact on the overall wellness. The event was organized on World Oral Health Day and this walk for awareness was a collaborative effort of Oral Health Sciences Centre, PGI; HS Judge Institute of Dental Sciences, PU and the Indian Dental Association, Chandigarh. The walk was flagged off by the UT Home Secretary, Anurag Aggrawal and and Prof. Savita Malhotra, Dean of the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research, Chandigarh.  Approximately 200 people of all age groups and from all aspects of the society participated in it.

Prof. Ashok Utreja, the President of IDA and Ex-Head of Department, Oral Health Sciences Centre, PGI stressed for the need of regular check up to maintain the health of your oral cavity. There has been a growing awareness among people for seeking dental treatment, but the knowledge and motivation about following healthy practices is still low. He said that the status of the teeth and gums directly affect the other organs in the body like heart and lungs. High incidence of heart diseases is seen in people who have bad oral hygiene. He also told the press that the next agenda for IDA is to help the UT administration to make the tricity a no tobacco region. He said that 90% of oral cancer in India is because of chewable tobacco.

Prof. Krishan Gauba, Head of Department of Oral Health Sciences Centre, PGI insisted that oral care should be started at the eruption of first set of milk teeth in a child's mouth and the importance of milk teeth is no less than the permanent teeth. The bacteria responsible for causing dental caries can be found in a child's mouth between 18 to 30 months of age about 20 percent of cases and even before that in 5 to 10 percent of cases.

Dr. Aditi Kapur, general Secretary highlighted that IDA is committed to aggressively pursue the target of a caries free population and also to work with the administration to have a no-tobacco society in the coming years.