Dental insurance is need of the hour

Numerous challenges exist for expanding oral health care services in India. There is a serious lack of authentic and valid data for assessment of community needs, as well as the lack of an organised system for monitoring oral health care services.

Oral diseases are progressive, cumulative and become more complex over time. They can affect our ability to eat, the foods we choose, how we look and the way we communicate. These diseases can affect economic productivity and compromise our ability to work efficiently.

Healthy teeth help a child eat properly, speak clearly and guide adult teeth into place. Yet tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of childhood.

Good oral health helps seniors get proper nutrition, maintain good overall health and enjoy a better quality of life. Many factors put older adults at risk for poor oral health, including medications and health conditions that cause “dry mouth” which can quickly lead to cavities and severe gum disease, a condition linked to other serious chronic health disorders, including diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Because older adults are more likely to experience a chronic health condition, maintaining good oral health becomes even more important with age.

Oral healthcare statistics in India today are pretty dismal. In children, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease — five times more common than asthma.

Teens who get caught in the tobacco related habits like chewing tobacco, pan masala or smoking suffer from lesions. There are striking disparities in dental disease by income.

The social impact of oral diseases in children is substantial as school hours are lost each year due to dental-related illnesses.

Pain and suffering due to untreated diseases can lead to problems in eating, speaking, and learning.

Over 95% adults show signs of gum-related disease or gingivitus and more than 60% suffer from tooth decay. And these figures are much higher for those living in poverty. 

Tobacco-related cancer is the most prevalent of cancers. Annually, 1,30,000 people succumb to oral cancer, and this translates into approximately 14 deaths per hour in India.

Dental healthcare

So what do we need? Professional dental healthcare is a critical necessity for maintaining oral health. There is a dearth of digital dental records which is the need of the hour. There is a need to increase awareness because 50% of Indians don’t use a tooth brush.

To reduce the burden of dental diseases in India, dental insurance is the need of the hour.

Population from all economic strata should have the feasibility to afford dental treatment which is usually considered to be on the higher side. The lower income groups completely ignore oral health as they lack the financial assistance needed.

The solution for this issue is to make dental insurance available to all sects of the population. Dental insurance is one of the major areas of medical insurance in the western world.

Almost all the developed countries in the western hemisphere have a substantial population covered under the scheme of dental insurance. The Indian dental insurance sector is in a very primitive stage and currently, very few dental insurance plans are available.

(The writer is Founder and CEO, OCARE)