Oral Health In Schools Essay

Discussion 54

“The compartmentalization involved in viewing the mouth separately from the rest of the body must cease because oral health affects general health” - Sheiham

Oral health is a critical, but an ignored component of overall health and well being, especially among children. Oral health problems such as dental caries and gingivitis are global health problems in both developed and developing countries.57 Department of Health in United Kingdom (1994) defined oral health as the standard of oral and related tissues which enables an individual to eat, speak and socialize without active disease, discomfort or embarrassment and which contributes to general well being. The last three decades have seen massive improvements in child oral health in most industrialized countries; whereas the improvements in developing nations were below par.62 The above facts heightened the search for indicators that identify those who were at greater risk of having the disease. It is necessary to identify community risk indicators that are directed at specific targeted population. Since children are often the most important victims of dental

When analyzing the school absenteeism, it is important to control the confounding factors like general health. There was a lack of specific data that would indicate the days missed from school were because of oral health problems. Further probing is needed to assess whether their absence in school was due to oral health related issues. School performance data were based on standardized tests conducted in schools and does not measure the actual intelligence of these children.33 It is important to create specific tests in the Indian scenario to assess the academic performances of children. Schools have traditionally been the target of oral health education initiatives and provide an easy way to access a large volume of children.