Mumbai: Dentists raise awareness on oral hygiene amid fast life

Taking forward the Maharashtra government's 'Swachh Mukh Abhiyan', the Government Dental College and Hospital in Mumbai has emphasised the need for
awareness among people about oral hygiene. The college, in association with the Indian Society of Periodontology (ISP), observed the Oral Hygiene Day here on August 1, to mark the birth anniversary of ISP's founder late Dr G B Shankhwalkar.

Going a step further, the dental college doctors created a new rendition of the 'Sonu song' to spread awareness about mouth cleanliness. They also organised a mega-event at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus where an educational street play was enacted by the teachers and students, stressing on the ill-effects of the use of tobacco, gutka, cigarettes and other such products.

The 'Swachh Mukh Abhiyan' is an initiative started by the Maharashtra government's medical education and drugs department, under which doctors and dentists are trying to reach out to the people to make them aware of the health hazards of not keeping proper oral hygiene. "The oral hygiene awareness should not be restricted to just one day but must be an everyday practice," the dental college's dean, Dr Mansing Pawar, said.

Addressing a gathering on the occasion, Dr Rajesh Gaikwad, head of the department of periodontics, stressed on the importance of oral hygiene awareness in the society. "Typically, it looks like a day-off event but we pursue it all over the year as mouth cleanliness is extremely significant considering the fast moving life," he added.