An initiative to address the cause and stand up for oral health.
Dr. Amit Saini
Bachelor of Dental Surgery
President of Global Oral Health Foundation Society
www.facebook.com/GlobalOralHealthFoundationSociety
The 20th of March has been designated as the WORLD ORAL HEALTH DAY, being organized by the FDI World Dental Federation. The various Dental Federations of every country across the world and its members will be celebrating it. But, have we succedded in our mission to cover every member in this World and to provide Dental Care to All?
It is common knowledge that dental health coverage for developing countries is as low as 40%. This means that 6 out of every 10 people in the Developing Countries are left out of the web of basic dental health cover.
Even in the developed nations, the penetration of dental care to its citizens falls short and a significant percentage of the population is left out of it. How and why? This is because of the high dental insurance costs that a person has to pay to receive basic dental care. It is easier to go for a heart surgery than for an endododontic treatment in the developed countries. What an irony?
Universal health is the motto of all nations but oral health, which is a component of universal health, is kept out of it. Insurance companies will insure a person’s general health but not the oral health, which is a component of general health. What a sham? Even if dental care is covered as in the developed nations, the premiums are so high, that a majority cannot afford to pay and are thus left out.
Surgical interventions, knee transplants, heart surgery and other medical interventional procedures costing in hundreds of thousands of dollars are all insured by the insurance companies at a reasonable premium but to have dental insurance, to cover basic dental procedures the premiums are kept arbitarily very high and out of the reach of the common man.
What is the stand of the governments across the world on this?
Why are international NGO’s shying away from keping a part of their resoures for oral health ?
What is the stand of the electronic and the print media on this?