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MINI REVIEW article
Front. Dent. Med
Sec. Systems Integration
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdmed.2025.1544899
India's Oral Health Outlook: Challenges, Economic Impact and Need for Preventative Strategies
Provisionally accepted- 1 Haleon, Gurgaon, India
- 2 Indian dental association, India, India
- 3 Centre of the Cell, Blizard Institute, Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, London, England, United Kingdom
- 4 Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi, India
- 5 Haleon United KIngdom, United Kingdom, United Kingdom
This review explores the economic and behavioral dimensions of oral health in India, emphasizing the economic burden, treatment-seeking behaviors, and policy-level interventions needed to improve oral health outcomes.A mixed-method approach was employed, integrating primary data from the Oral Health Observatory (OHO) project (2016-2020) and a systematic review of secondary literature. The OHO project surveyed dental clinic patients using mobile app questionnaires, focusing on oral health behaviors, barriers, and outcomes. Secondary data were analyzed from PubMed, MEDLINE, and Embase databases to assess the economic implications of oral health care in India.The OHO data revealed a steady decline in routine dental visits after the age of 35-44 years, while emergency visits persisted across age groups. Gender disparities were observed, with men reporting higher dissatisfaction, greater oral pain, and work disruptions compared to women. Only 44.7% of participants brushed twice daily, and 36.7% brushed before bed. Secondary findings reveal that untreated oral diseases have a higher economic impact than preventive measures. This highlights the need for consumer awareness, strategic policies, and sustainable healthcare frameworks.India faces significant challenges in oral health due to low awareness, insufficient infrastructure, and economic barriers. Strengthening preventive strategies, increasing public-private partnerships, and integrating oral health education into primary care can dramatically reduce costs and improve population outcomes. A shift from reactive to preventive care is essential for ensuring equitable and sustainable oral health solutions.
Keywords: Oral Health, Quality of Life, economic burden, Health Policy, India, Dental Care, preventive care
Received: 13 Dec 2024; Accepted: 18 Feb 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Ali, Narang, Dhoble, Mathur, Rana and Mason. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Asif Ali, Haleon, Gurgaon, India
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