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Year : 2017 | Volume
: 28
| Issue : 6 | Page : 594 |
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Need for more research on burden of oral diseases in India |
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SM Balaji
Executive Editor, Indian Journal of Dental Research, Director and Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Click here for correspondence address and email
Date of Web Publication | 18-Dec-2017 |
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How to cite this article: Balaji S M. Need for more research on burden of oral diseases in India. Indian J Dent Res 2017;28:594 |
The prevalence of oral diseases, particularly that of dental caries and periodontium, and the burden posed by them is well documented and updated.[1] Oral cavity no longer remains outside systematic health. Oral health is an integral part of systemic health. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, maternal and child health are some of the systemic conditions that are heavily influenced by the oral cavity conditions.[2] Although the combined prevalence of dental caries of permanent dentition, deciduous dentition, and periodontal disorders pose a significant problem, they contribute negligibly to disability-adjusted life years, years of life lost, and years lived with disability.[1] Globally, this renders the oral disorders to be a negligible burden, yet their association and influence over noncommunicable disorders cannot be overlooked.
In an earlier editorial of IJDR, the nonavailability of pan-India, state-level nonavailability of disease burden was pointed out.[3] Addressing to this was the recent the Indian state-level report of burden of diseases report.[4] This is first ever such compilation of the India specific burden of diseases. Interestingly, the burden of oral diseases has not been reported in detail. India is a home to 18% of global population. Dental fraternity now needs to identify and stress their importance for the general well-being.[2] This was also called for in an another IJDR editorial.[5]
Dental researchers need to use these data from the global burden of diseases approach and produce evidence-based dental studies to highlight the burden posed by the oral disorders. When reported only, the policymakers can understand the implications of the burden of the oral diseases and their effect on systematic disorders. This is of paramount importance, especially when Indian dentists are believed to suffer from unemployment [6] while Indian dentistry suffers from setbacks.[7],[8] The dental fraternity needs to reinvent itself and proceed further based on scientific evidence.
References | |  |
1. | Kassebaum NJ, Smith AGC, Bernabé E, Fleming TD, Reynolds AE, Vos T, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years for oral conditions for 195 countries, 1990-2015: A Systematic analysis for the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors. J Dent Res 2017;96:380-7. |
2. | Balaji SM. Dental research: Present to future. Indian J Dent Res 2013;24:651-2.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
3. | Balaji SM. Burden of oral diseases. Indian J Dent Res 2016;27:115.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
4. | India State-level Disease Burden Initiative Collaborators. Nations within a nation: Variations in epidemiological transition across the states of India, 1990-2016 in the global burden of disease study. Lancet 2017. pii: S0140-6736(17) 32804-0. |
5. | Balaji SM. Burden of oral diseases: Further thoughts. Indian J Dent Res 2016;27:229.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
6. | Samuel SR. Dental education: Too many graduates in India. Br Dent J 2016;220:219. |
7. | Balaji SM. Redefining and reinventing dentistry. Indian J Dent Res 2017;28:241.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
8. | Cohen LK, Dahlen G, Escobar A, Fejerskov O, Johnson NW, Manji F, et al. Why a radical overhaul of dentistry is needed. Indian J Dent Res 2017;28:471-4.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |

Correspondence Address: S M Balaji Executive Editor, Indian Journal of Dental Research, Director and Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijdr.IJDR_677_17

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