The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the FDI Annual World Dental Congress hosted by the Indian Dental Association today (September 11, 2014) at Greater Noida.

Speaking on the occasion, the President said that oral health is integral to overall health and globally it is a challenging issue. Due to prevalence and incidence, oral diseases pose a major threat to public health. The standards of oral and dental health is challenging in this subcontinent. Most people are ignorant of the significance of oral health and its impact on general health. Oral diseases and tooth decay were considered a part of the ageing process and ignored by a large number of people.

The President said that IDA has launched several programmes and projects to raise awareness of the need for maintaining oral health and hygiene amongst different segments of the society. He stated that what we need today in India is an Oral Health Revolution similar to the Green Revolution and White Revolution. He was happy to note that IDA has been in the forefront of this campaign to bring about an Oral Health Revolution in the country along with FDI and its partners.

The President said that we need to develop a holistic model to address the preventive needs as well as the disease specific requirements. He expressed the hope that the deliberations in the Congress by the mighty minds from across the globe would bring out a model for oral healthcare, which can meet the demands of the individuals and make the oral healthcare truly affordable and accessible.

This release issued 1750 hrs.