About NSOHM
A Comprehensive Program for Oral Health in school.
Good physical health, including oral health, is essential to our school children if they have to take full advantage of the education. Children with poor oral health are not able to focus or have difficulty attending to tasks because they are distracted by pain. They demonstrate the effects of pain – anxiety, fatigue, irritability, depression and withdrawal from normal activities. Its been observed that children having a toothache do not score as well as those who are not distracted by pain.
Unfortunately, large numbers of children in India have poor oral health, including untreated tooth decay, infection and pain. Oral health has been often overlooked, impediment to student learning and achievement. Poor oral health has resulted in failure to thrive, impaired speech development, absence from and inability to concentrate in school, and reduced self-esteem. Poor oral health has been related to decreased school performance, poor social relationships and less success later in life.
Schools can be important partners in promoting good oral health practices and preventing oral disease among students. Schools have been and will continue to be an important environment for the dissemination of disease prevention information. Because the classroom maximizes the number of children reached simultaneously. Students will be better prepared to learn and succeed if the school environment, policies and personnel are aligned to help them maintain their oral health.
By helping children and adolescents achieve good oral health, you can make a big difference in their lives— both now and in the future!
Again IDA, reinstates that school serve as an institution that supports the adoption and practice of behaviors deemed desirable by society. Oral health education and promotion should begin in the early school years, but should extend into adulthood, then parenthood, and finally into community wellness initiatives as a public service responsibility.
