On the occasion of the 67th Anniversary of Army Dental Corps, Mrs Kirti Kapoor, President Army Wives Welfare Association (AWWA) launched a joint initiative by the Army Dental Corps with AWWA here today. This Mother & Child Oral Health Care Program, is the first of its kind will encompass educating the wives of the combatants about various preventive and curative measures for the better oral health of the family members.
Lt Gen Paramjit Singh, Director General of Dental Services during the inauguration of the program brought out that this endeavor will be implemented through a series of lectures during family welfare meets, free distribution of oral health pamphlets, free check ups of mothers and children and imparting training to the oral health educators and propagators.Oral health is a very good indicator of overall health practice in a community. Not only is it preventable, inexpensive and less time consuming to recognize and intervene dental problems early, but also involves primary non invasive management.
Even though there are many different health issues common to both men and women, they can manifest more often and differently in women. Compared to men, genetic and hormonal factors may cause women to have more frequent and intensified responses to the oral bacteria that initiate gum problems. Oral hygiene practices, hormonal influences on women's oral health and systemic diseases, and how puberty, menstruation, pregnancy and menopause influence oral health are important and frequently overlooked women's health issues.
If a child has poor oral health habits, the mother can work towards changing them provided she is aware and counseled of the status. It is much easier to modify these habits in a child than in an adult. Since a child models its behavior after the mother, it follows that she should serve as a positive role model in oral hygiene habits. A healthy smile, good breath and strong teeth all contribute to a young person's sense of personal appearance, as well as confidence and self-esteem.
In the backdrop of the armed forces scenario, the wife of the serving personnel more often than not finds herself at the helm of affairs in terms of increased responsibility of the family household and its health due to long periods of absence of the latter, attributable to unavoidable service exigencies.
Therefore it is the initiative of the Army Dental Corps in association with the AWWA to launch a nation – wide unique campaign to propagate and foster healthy oral health practices in the community by targeting the most effective clientele, the mother and child.
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