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Background Nursing and allied health professionals are helping hands for healthcare and are important in the training cascade. We aimed to develop and validate the effectiveness of a web-based learning module on oral health promotion among nursing and allied health professionals. Methods We developed and validated an oral health module focused on prevention and promotion for a web-based intervention among nurses and allied health professionals. Pre- and post-test assessment was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme. Results Of a total of 347 participants, 170 (48.9%) had a good knowledge score in the pre-test, and after attending the oral health module their number increased to 267 (76.9%). The mean difference between the pre-test and post-test scores was statistically significant (p Conclusions Training of nurses and allied health professionals on oral health through a web-based module showed improvement in oral health literacy.

Introduction In India every year, an estimated 1 million people die from tobacco-related illnesses, which could have been avoided by stopping tobacco use. This study aimed to determine the tobacco dependence and perceptions about tobacco cessation among the patients attending a tertiary care dental hospital. Methods A mixed-methods study was conducted among the individuals visiting the dental hospital. Self-administered questionnaires were used to record quantitative data on the current and past tobacco history, tobacco dependence, and quit attempts. Face-to-face interviews were conducted to collect qualitative data on the perceptions on tobacco quitting. Results About 52% of participants had made an attempt to quit tobacco in the past. The majority of the smokers (82.7%), smokeless tobacco (SLT) users (71.3%), and dual users (83.1%) reported being in the contemplation phase of quitting tobacco. SLT users (12.3%) reported to have taken action in the past to quit tobacco compared to 9.6% smokers, and 1.4% of dual users. Doctors advise, motivation from family and friends motivated the participants to quit tobacco. The risk perception of tobacco use was reported as death, cancer, dental diseases, systemic diseases like chest congestion, cough, tuberculosis, lung cancer, and general body weakness. However, some of the participants were unaware of the methods to quit tobacco, some had misconceptions that shifting to other forms of tobacco and alcohol could help in quitting, and considered SLT to be less harmful than smoking forms. Conclusion Majority of the participants were willing to quit tobacco and had taken measures to quit in the past. There is a need to increase the awareness among the tobacco users about the health risk of tobacco use, and motivate them to utilize the existing cessation services available.

Childhood cancer is a disease which is increasing in number. The good part is that if intervened early it can be treated with good prognosis. However, it is the utmost requirement of the medical fraternity to ease the quality of life of the paediatric patient in this journey. Oro-dental health and good oral health related quality of life is also deemed necessary for these childhood disease warriors. The provision of an inclusive facility of oral health care along with the paediatric cancer treatment has been emphasized. Utilization of services of preventive dentistry ranging from knowledge reinforcement of oral hygiene to awareness and treatment of early and late oral complications during the course of chemo-and radiotherapy is the ideal oral health care delivery approach in this population. The basic idea is to present an conceptual framework to integrate oral health into the childhood cancer care in an all embracing manner.

Background: Patients search online for information about health and potential treatments, but the content and accuracy of some websites are questionable. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India developed a website ‘eDantSeva’ to promote oral health under the National Oral Health Programme. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the participants attending the Out Patient Department at a tertiary dental institute in New Delhi. The study duration was for a period of 4 months (September – December 2018). Participants with a basic understanding in English language and willing to participate were included in the study to give feedback for an oral health promoting website. Findings: The participants showed 73% of satisfaction with the website, 22% of the participants were partially satisfied and 5% were not satisfied with the website. Interpretation: Participants felt that the website on oral health promotion was well informative with comprehensive knowledge for dental up keeping and knowledge. Funding Statement: The study was funded by eHealth and eGovernance Division of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. Declaration of Interests: There are no conflicts of interest. Ethics Approval Statement: A cross-sectional pilot study was conducted among the participants attending the Out Patient Department at a tertiary dental institute in New Delhi after obtaining the approval from the Institutional Ethical Committee (Ref.NO.:IEC-176/05.04.2019, RP-32/2019).

Oral diseases, including dental caries, periodontitis, and edentulism (toothlessness), affect about 3.5 billion people worldwide. A cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the oral health status and treatment needs of government employees employed at an organization in New Delhi. Oral health information was recorded using the standard World Health Organization’s (WHO) Oral Health Assessment Tool. A total of 476 employees at various levels of administration were screened at their worksite. Dental caries and periodontal disease were present in more than half of the participants. Around 56% had decayed teeth, 20% had missing teeth, and 16% had filled teeth. Bleeding from gums was seen in 71% and periodontitis in 59% of participants. Preventive treatment and oral health promotion was required in at least 41% of the screened individuals. Annual workplace oral examinations may help in decreasing the oral disease burden and create awareness on the oral health among employees.

Background The extensive reach of AYUSH health professionals allows them to provide profound quality care to the unreachable. These professionals from the traditional system of medicine form fundamental part of the health care system. If adequately trained on oral health they can play a remarkable role in oral health promotion and prevention of oral diseases. Objective A training strategy was thus chalked out and this study was conducted to assess the knowledge of AYUSH health professionals on oral health and the impact of this training intervention in improving their knowledge. Materials and methods An interventional study via self structured pre and post questionnaire on 49 participants assessed the knowledge of participants on oral health promotion. The needs assessment revealed that all the AYUSH health practitioners felt the need to participate in oral health promotion training. Results A significant increase in mean knowledge scores from 12.56 ± 2.26 to 15.26 ± 1.40 of AYUSH professionals was seen after a one day training programme. Conclusion The study concluded that the utilization of AYUSH health professionals for oral health promotion and education can aid as a valuable tool for population based oral health promotion approaches.

Cancers of the lip and oral cavity are the most common cancers among men in the World Health Organization (WHO) South-East Asia Region. Most cancers of the oral cavity are attributable to tobacco smoking, smokeless tobacco use and areca-nut product use, alone or in combination, and excessive consumption of alcohol. These risk factors are highly prevalent in parts of the region. This paper outlines an integrated framework for oral cancer prevention, which includes a strengthened primary health-care workforce, enhanced community engagement and a positive policy environment. Operationalizing this framework could be greatly facilitated by the application of digital technologies. Robust evidence exists for the effectiveness of using appropriately trained primary health-care workers to screen for oral cancer by oral visual examination; this can be combined with counselling for riskbehaviour modification as part of an overall strategy on noncommunicable diseases. This needs to be supported by greater overall community engagement, for example to tackle low levels of awareness of the harmful effects of smokeless tobacco and areca-nut products. A strong policy environment that supports and promotes these efforts is essential, along with the enforcement of the measures required by the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. Despite the burden of disease, oral cancer has been a neglected area of public health. This paper considers how the positively disruptive effects of digital technology may enable much-needed acceleration in prevention and control efforts.

Dental diseases and other noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) share common risks. Omnipresent and easily available sugars are a contributing risk factor for overweight, obesity, and diabetes. In addition, sugar consumption is known to cause dental caries in early childhood (early childhood caries) and in adults. It has been noticed that the prevalence of NCDs is increasing each year, leading to 70% of deaths. A symposium of diverse academicians was convened to identify the gaps in evidence, policy, and advocacy for action on sugars, emphasizing on its detrimental effects on oral health. Existence of policies on sugars, experiences of other countries, feasibility in India, and the role of public health dentists, public, and stakeholders were discussed. Policy priorities in India and advocacy to strengthen action against inappropriate sugar intake could help address the growing burden of sugar-related NCDs. Recommendations to this end were put forth by the panel of experts.