Health ministry releases training manuals for health workers to promote oral health

New Delhi: Mr Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare released the manual on oral health promotion for health workers and school teachers at a function to mark the World Oral Health Day, on 20th March. Ms Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health) was also present at the occasion.

Mr Choubey stated that the manual encompasses the health, disease and prevention components and highlights the basic oral health care and the role of health workers and school teachers with respect to the common dental diseases. He further said that the high incidence of oral cancers can be prevented if we maintain oral hygiene and avoid use of tobacco. “It’s high time that good oral hygiene becomes a social movement- Jan Abhiyaan.” We need to educate children right at the beginning for good oral health so that they can become our health ambassadors, he said.

Speaking at the occasion, Mr Choubey further stated the oral health manual for health workers is a comprehensive output for training frontline workers on oral health promotion as it familiarizes the frontline workers with features of healthy mouth. He also said that the manual outlines the basic features of oral diseases which will guide the frontline workers in identifying oral diseases. “It also outlines the duties to be performed for promoting oral health in families and communities,” he said. Mr Choubey further said that the manual gives tips on dental emergency management like acute tooth pain, trauma, bleeding and swelling/abscess.

Speaking about the manual for school teachers, Mr Choubey stated that it aims at enhancing the role of teachers and the school environment in child health. “It describes the common oral diseases in children, their prevention and some initiatives that maybe executed at school level to improve oral health and reduce absenteeism due to acute dental pain,” he stated

Ms Preeti Sudan, Secretary (Health) stated that there is an urgent need to get these manuals translated in other languages so that people from other states can also benefit from it. Smt. Sudan further said that the manual also connects the teachers to the parents and the communities at large, reiterating the concept of an Integrated School Community. She added that there shall be school health ambassadors under Ayushman Bharat programme to promote preventive and promotive health in schools. These shall be a boy and girl student in each class.

Also present at the function were Mr B.D Athani , DGHS, Mr Sanjeeva Kumar AS (Health), Sunil Kumar (Joint Secretary) along with other senior officers of the Ministry and AIIMS.