Kerala Governor Nikhil Kumar has said affordable dental care must be made available to rural people in the country. He was inaugurating the 38th National Conference of the Indian Society of Periodontology (ISP) here on Friday.
He said that unlike urban population, exposure to methods of oral hygiene and effective dental care is limited among rural masses in the country. Periodontology is the specialty of dentistry that studies supporting structures of teeth, diseases, and conditions that affect them.
The Governor also appealed to ISP members to strive to make available expert attention in dental care at an affordable rate to the rural public.“Dentistry has now become more technology oriented and highly professional now. But the awareness about oral hygiene and advanced dental care has not progressed, particularly, in rural India.
“The need to address genuine problems found in the rural areas has increased now. Organisations like the ISP has a major role to play in this regard,” the Governor said. He appreciated use of disclaimers about smoking and alcohol consumption in movies and TV shows.
While delivering the keynote address, Union Minister Vayalar Ravi said dentists have a social responsibility.
“Though the state has the best health indicators in the country, the oral health situation here is not that good. Gum diseases and tooth decay are common among Keralites. “This is a serious issue and has to be addressed in detail,” he added. ISP president Santhosh Sreedhar, secretary Balaji Manohar, president-elect Ashish Jain, B R R Varma and Arindam Chatterjee also spoke.Over 1,500 delegates, mostly gum specialists, are attending the conference.