Oral health is one of the most overlooked components of health care in India with the highest damage done to rural and hard to reach communities. Not maintaining basic oral hygiene leads to several public health concerns, including tooth enamel decay (cavities), periodontitis, infections including blood-borne infections, and heart disease. The Oral Health Promotion Foundation (OHPF) based in Rajasthan, embodies the leading Preventive Dental Care NGO, and is working to engage and tackle this broad public health concern through the understanding of oral hygiene awareness and preventive dental care, across diverse regions of Rajasthan.

OHPF was started by a group of proactive and passionate dental care providers, and public health practitioners, and is committed to early detection, education and/or community based interventions, to improve health and oral health outcomes among at-risk populations. OHPF has a vision to make oral health easy and accessible to everyone in Rajasthan. The OHPF offers free dental camps, school based dental health programs, health and awareness campaigns, and subsidized service for local regional health departments.

The Significance of Preventive Care in Dental Health in India

Oral diseases are one of the most prolific non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are widespread dental caries (cavities); worldwide, 60–90% of school children and nearly 100% of adults, have caries. Unable to access a professional dentist, forming an ignorant attitude towards dental care into a lifestyle becomes common, and contributes significantly to the growing epidemic of poor oral hygiene and ill-health in rural India.

Preventative dental care services are the most cost-effective way to tackle this, and include regular check-ups, professional cleans, fluoride treatments, dental sealants, health education/skills training in proper home brushing/flossing, and dietary advice/education. Unfortunately, prevention is among services often deprioritized by public health policy and services in India, and therefore non-profit organizations, such as the Oral Health Promotion Foundation (OHPF), serve an important role.

Who We Are: Oral Health Promotion Foundation (OHPF)

Vision:

An India that exhibits good oral health and takes preventive dental care seriously.

Mission:

In rural Rajasthan it is our mission to alleviate oral disease burden through educating, providing outreach services and promoting access to preventive dental services.

Core Values:

• Equity in oral health access
• Education is the sustainability
• Empathy for underserved populations
• Integrity and professionalism

Our programs and initiatives

1 in the rural India. Free dental camp

One of the largest OHPF programs is a free dental camp in rural areas in Rajasthan. These camps provide basic oral health screening, fluoride treatment, cleaning of teeth and references for more wide dental drugs if necessary.

Important features:

• Participants receive dental check from registered doctors.
• Children receive fluorine lacquer applications.
• Participants receive dental hygiene kits containing toothbrushes, toothpaste and dental floss.
• Education brochures are distributed to Hindi and Rajasthani.
• Participants participated in the government and OHPF in dental clinics.

Effect: Open dental camps in OHPF have access and served more than 50,000 patients in District in Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner and Alwar.

2. School Oral Health Training Program

Promoting good oral hygiene in young children is necessary to prevent dental problems later in life. OHPF works with schools all over Rajasthan to offer oral health training classes.

Program highlights:

• Oral health courses include lessons suitable for different grades.
• Interactive videos and brushing technology taught through doll shows.
• Monitored brushing after the pantry brush.
• Regular oral check in collaboration with local doctors.
• Parents receive annual dental health reports.

3. Oral Hygiene Awareness Campaigns

OHPF runs state-wide oral hygiene awareness campaigns using mass media, street plays (nukkad natak), radio spots, and social media. These campaigns are designed to:

• Debunk myths related to dental care
• Promote regular brushing and flossing
• Encourage limiting sugar intake
• Highlight the importance of early treatment

Special Campaigns Include:

• “Ek Muskaan, Swasth Jeevan” (One Smile, Healthy Life)
• “Brush for Bright Future” – a brushing awareness campaign for school children
• World Oral Health Day outreach (March 20th every year)

4. Training Community Health Workers

OHPF collaborates with rural ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, and primary health providers to improve our reach outside urban areas and provide basic oral health education training.

Training Modules Address:

• Recognizing early signs of oral diseases
• Basic dental first aid
• Teaching families about oral hygiene
• Referring patients for professional dental care

Using this strategy, oral health messages will be disseminated through known local individuals that evoke greater community response.

5. Research and Policy Advocacy

Together with dental colleges, organizations such as RISHI (a research organization in Rajasthan), and some public health institutes, OHPF conducts community oral health surveys and has conducted research on the effectiveness of interventions. Based on the data we gather through oral health surveys and other community studies we are able to:

• Internationally compare data to modify our program design
• Conduct policy research work that supports oral health
• Advocate for including preventive dental care within the public health system of Rajasthan

Why Rajasthan Needs Oral Health Non-Governmental Organizations

Rajasthan has large rural populations in need of oral health care, and entering into rural health care delivery systems is challenging considering the following:

• Lack of understanding around what dental hygiene is
• Superstitions and cultural myths around dental health and dental treatment
• Reliance on government clinics, mobility issues if no clinics exist in remote areas
• High levels of tobacco use and consumption of sugar based snacks/aids.

According to a 2023 survey conducted in Rajasthan:

• 70% of school-going children had untreated cavities
• Only 12% of the rural population had visited a dentist in the last year
• Gum diseases were prevalent among 50% of adults over 40

This gap can only be bridged by NGOs that focus on prevention, community involvement, and awareness, which is exactly what OHPF stands for.

Get Involved: Support Our mission

Whether you are a dental health professional, health professional, health educator, student or just someone who cares about health equity, OHPF has many ways you can support our work:

1. Volunteering with Us

Sign up with your group on field visits, awareness campaigns or virtual workshops.

2. Donate

Your contribution can support the sponsorship of dental hygiene kits, schools programs, and free camps. All donations are eligible for income tax exemption as per 80G.

3. Partnering With Us

Schools, hospitals, and corporates can partner us for CSR initiatives, employee volunteering of partnership campaigns.

4. Help Us Spread the Word

Follow us, share our posts on social media and help build a culture of preventive oral health.

Oral health is not a privilege, it is every human’s right. OHPF is changing smiles across the vast areas of Rajasthan through sharing knowledge, access and oral health promotion, education and preventive care. People should be able to access oral care, receive encouraging support and simply feel good about themselves. Within communities, OHPF not only prevents disease but also enables dignity, confidence and overall wellbeing.