Periodontal Health-The Gordian Knot in Public Health: The Indian Standpoint

Oral health is an inherent part of public health and is intricately related to systemic health. The interdependency of oral health and systemic health merges at the knot called periodontal health. Systemic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, metabolic diseases, and autoimmune diseases affect periodontal tissues and there lies a bidirectional relationship between periodontitis and diabetes mellitus. Taking this into consideration, periodontal health maintainance is essential for better systemic health. With the advancing health complications in the present time and due to spatial disparities, periodontal health is taking the shape of a concerning public health problem. India is facing some definitive challenges in terms of the oral healthcare system. Periodontal health assessment needs introduction of oral health programmes focusing on periodontal assessment, oral health policies and promoting education regarding periodontal health. Continous surveilliance of the disease can help us in determing the prevalence of disease, disease progression, early diagnosis, and treatment. This review aims at finding the existing problems addressing periodontal health as a public health issue, key challenges, and possible ways out of this problem.