Can technology help in maintaining good oral health?

"Brushing the teeth regularly twice a day is the best way to maintain good oral health," says Dr. Dibakar Kalita, a  Guwahati-based dentist.

Dental problems are one of the most common issues which every person faces. Oral care is equally vital as the care of other body parts.

With an aim to increase the number of healthier smiles in the world, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a new set of mobile guidelines which provides comprehensive instructions on how to complement existing oral health initiatives and oral health systems using technologies.

The new product is one of a set developed through the 'Be He@lthy Be Mobile' programme which is run by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union. Since the establishment of the programme in 2012, handbooks have been released on topics ranging from diabetes and cervical cancer to hypertension and dementia.

mOralHealth interventions established following the guidance in the handbook can be implemented as stand-alone activities or be integrated into existing non-communicable disease programmes.

Till today, the initiative focused on the prevention of non-communicable diseases through the dissemination of health messages to mobile phones.

The launch of this new handbook on oral health takes the Initiative several steps for better oral health.

It promotes oral health through text messages sent to the general public and provides guidance on training for health workers which helps in the early detection of oral health issues through mobile technologies.

The handbook is designed as flexible components that can be implemented individually or collectively.

Oral health interventions established following the guidance in the handbook can be implemented as stand-alone activities or be integrated into existing non-communicable disease programmes.