By IANS,
New Delhi : Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit Saturday flagged off a fleet of five mobile dental vans to mark World Oral Health Day and appealed to the people to focus on oral health and hygiene.
“Basic oral care facilities should be accessible to every individual since oral health is an important and crucial part of one’s overall health and wellness. Unfortunately, it is often neglected,” said Dikshit on the occasion.
The vans were flagged off in the capital as part of Oral Health Month 2009. This is part of a nationwide oral health awareness campaign organised by the Indian Dental Association (IDA) and Colgate-Palmolive (India) Ltd.
The five vans are part of a fleet 30 mobile dental vans that will travel to 40 cities across the country in September and October.
Free dental check-ups were also conducted on the occasion for children of Pratham, a community based organization that promotes education of under-privileged children in 24 Indian states.
The chief minister urged the people to realise the importance of oral hygiene and make the most of the free dental check ups.
IDA Secretary General Ashok Dhoble said: “Oral health is very important and critical for overall health. Through the Oral Health Month, it will be our endeavour to reach out to as many people as possible to spread awareness about basic oral health habits.”