Dental Education: Challenges and Changes

Abstract

The aim of dental health education is to impart knowledge on the causes of oral diseases and providing the ways and possibilities of their prevention and adequate treatment. Health education would highlight the necessity of proper nutrition, maintenance of oral hygiene with the use of fluoride products, and other regimen as well as drive attention toward the significance of regular check-ups with a dentist. Public health dentistry in India has become the only key toward future dental workforce and strategies. There have been numerous challenges which exist for expanding oral health care in India, in which the biggest challenge is the need for dental health planners with relevant qualifications and training in public health dentistry. There is a serious lack of authentic and valid data for assessment of community demands, as well as the lack of an organized system for monitoring oral health care services to guide planners. Based on the aim for sustained development, human resource planning and utilization should be used along with a system of monitoring and evaluation. Hence, both demand and supply influence the ability of the dental workforce to adequately and efficiently provide dental care to an Indian population which is growing in size and diversity.