The Union Health Ministry is likely to roll out a dental sealant programme in select Government schools in eight States where 12,500 students in the age group of 4-14 years will receive a protective layer on their teeth to prevent tooth decay. The project will be accomplished by the March-end next year. If it is successful, the programme will be extended to other States.
The 40-year-old technology, widely prevalent in developed countries and in the private dental healthcare sector in India, can cut cavities by 80 per cent for up to two years, and by 50 per cent for up to four years.
Dental sealants, applied to first and second molars which are most vulnerable to dental caries during the childhood, are liquid plastic coatings that quickly harden in the depressions and grooves to form a shield on the teeth.
As several children living in penury cannot afford the treatment that costs around Rs 1,000 each molar sealing, the Ministry is pushing for a safe and painless cost-effective treatment to protect teeth of the students of Government schools. If successful, the project “Pit and Fissures” may become the part of the public health programme nationwide.
“We have selected 12 medical colleges across the country. They have been asked to apply dental sealants on 50,000 molars,” said Dr Akriti Mehta, consultant of the National Oral Health Policy of the Ministry.
PGIMER in Chandigarh, Faculty of Dentistry in KGMU in lucknow, SCB Dental College in Cuttak in Odisha, Govt Dental College in Ahmedabad, Government Dental Colleges in Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Department of Dentistry in RIMS in Imphal have been assigned the job.
Four medical colleges from Delhi — Maulana Azad Institute of Dental Sciences, Department of Dentistry in lady Hardinge Medical College, Department of Dentistry in VMMC in Safdarjung Hospital and CDER in AIIMS — have also been roped in for the purpose.
Dr Naseem Shah, Prof of Dental Surgery in North Delhi Municipal Corporation Medical and Government Hospital and former chief of Dental Centre, AIIMS, said, “The pit and fissure technology is almost 40 years old and is regularly practiced in the developed countries like the US. The idea is to apply them as soon as possible after teeth erupt and before decay can set in. Schools are the best way to reach out to children, especially those from low-income families.”
Dr AK Chandana, Delhi-based dentist and member of the Dental Council of India, said untreated cavities can cause pain, infection, and problems in eating, speaking, and learning process of children.
“Studies have shown that these sealants cut down cavities by 80 per cent for up to two years, and by 50 per cent for up to four years. Kids without them have almost three times more cavities than those who have sealant,” he said.