Rural India shows apathy towards dental problems: Survey

20 Oct 2005  

A new national survey conducted by Synovate India and sponsored by Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd says that even though Indians use high quality toothbrush and the latest toothpaste available in the market, the level of oral hygiene awareness was surprisingly low. Almost 60 percent of those surveyed admitted that they have never been to a dentist in their life.

The survey notes that poor oral hygiene practices are resulting in a myriad of dental problems across the country especially in the rural countryside. The survey also found that a paltry 2 percent actually visit the dentist for regular check up, while more than half are unconcerned about preventing or curing the same. During the last year 24 percent who used toothpaste suffered from a toothache and only 35 percent out of these had taken remedial measures. “Research has shown that dental diseases can best be prevented through early detection and primary prevention. This means that people need to get the basics right — brush twice daily and visit a dentist twice a year,” commented Dr Bhagwant Singh, national president of the Indian Dental Association. “Children, right from the age of three should be made aware of basics like the importance of brushing teeth twice a day, cleaning teeth and gums properly and other oral care information." He added that inculcating awareness about oral health at an early age proves to be beneficial later in life. The survey noted the apathy in the rural areas towards oral problems. People here were found to blame teeth problems to their birth or bad food.

Medindia on Dental Problems: Cavities are the number one concern in India with people rarely bothering about them until too late. Another recent occurrence is that of oral cancer mainly caused by tobacco. This is especially prevalent in rural areas. Dentistry has made many giant strides, but has sadly failed to be inclusive of the population needs in the country.