Integrating National Oral Health Programme and National Tobacco Control Programme in India. A Concept for policy coherence

Mithun Pai ^1,2 Shweta Yellapurkar ^3* Swapna Sarit ⁴ Kalyana c Pentapapati ⁵ Avinash B R ⁶ Ramya Shenoy ¹

• ¹ Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, India
• ² Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India
• ³ Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology. Manipal College of Dental Sciences Mangalore. Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Manipal, Karnataka, India.576104., Mangalore, India
• ⁴ Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre, Tata Memorial Centre, Dept. Of DAE, Govt of India, Jatni, Odisha, India
• ⁵ Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences Manipal. Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Manipal, Karnataka, India.576104, Manipal, India
• ⁶ Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Manipal. 576104, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Manipal College of Dental Sciences, Mangalore, India

Tobacco use continues to be a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in humans. Tobacco has a detrimental influence on oral health, including oral cancer, risk of periodontal diseases, periimplantitis and implant failure. This comparative analysis explores the possible integration of two programs of great importance. The National Oral Health Programme (NOHP) and The National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) as these programs are closely linked with each other. Possible blueprint for Integrating NOHP and NTCP in India: Joint Awareness Campaigns encompassing Common Risk Factor Approach, Integrated Screening and Cessation Services with Dental Colleges as Tobacco Cessation Hubs, combine Monitoring and Surveillance of tobacco usage and oral health. Challenges to integration of NOHP and NTCP: Resource constraint and Resource Limitations, the NOHP and NTCP have resource constraints relating to funding, human personnel, and infrastructure. The two initiatives are administered by separate branches within the health sector and involve different groups of stakeholders with conflicting interests. The lack of a unified data systems that provide a ground for comparing effects of tobacco on oral health and integration of this data. The tobacco user may not be singularly interested to be associated with oral health programs Conclusion Integration of National Oral Health Programme with National Tobacco Control Programme in India aims at addressing the twin burden of tobacco use and oral health. By leveraging both programs' strengths which include educating the trainers, raising awareness of oral health and tobacco use, improving access to trained manpower especially dentists with dual role.