e-DantSeva: First-ever national digital health platform launched

On Monday, October 8, the Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan launched the website and mobile application of ‘e-DantSeva’ in New Delhi. It is the first-ever national digital platform, providing information about oral health. Dr Vardhan credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for according importance to the digital medium. He opined that dental cavities and periodontal disease were the two most common dental diseases in India. The Health Minister also warned people about the possibility of dental infections leading to serious diseases. The visually impaired people will also be benefited in the form of the release of a Braille booklet, giving information about oral health. 

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He said, "e-DantSeva is the first-ever national digital platform that provides oral health information both in the form of a website and mobile application. Oral health is indispensable for the wellbeing and good quality of life. Poor oral health affects growth negatively in all aspects of human development." 

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National Oral Health Programme 

The Health Ministry seeks to create awareness about the necessity of maintaining optimum oral health and highlight the available facilities for treatment.  

According to an official press release, "e-DantSeva contains information about the National Oral Health Program (NOHP), detailed list of all the dental facility and colleges, Information, Education and Communication (IEC) material and a unique feature called the 'Symptom Checker', which provides information on symptoms of dental/oral health problems, ways to prevent these, the treatment modes, and also directs the user to find their nearest available dental facility (public and private sectors both).” 

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The NOHP was introduced in its current form in 2014. The Centre for Dental Education and Research (CDER), AIIMS, New Delhi functions as the National Centre of Excellence for Implementation of NOHP. Many officials such as the Health Secretary, the Director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and the CDER chief were present on the occasion. 

(With ANI inputs)

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