Integrating Oral Health into India’s Universal Immunization Programme: A Strategic Pathway Toward Universal Health Coverage

Gupta, Vinay Kumar; Aggarwal, Aayushi; Kankane, Nishita; Malhotra, Seema

Integrating Oral Health into India’s Universal Immunization Programme: A Strategic Pathway Toward Universal Health Coverage

Articles in Press

Document Type : Viewpoint

Authors

Vinay Kumar Gupta ¹

Aayushi Aggarwal ¹

Nishita Kankane ¹

Seema Malhotra ²

¹ Department of Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dental Sciences, King George’s Medical University, Lucknow, India

² Directorate of Medical and Health, Lucknow, India

Keywords

Oral Health

Universal Health Coverage

Immunization Programme

Early Childhood Caries

Introduction

Oral diseases affect an estimated 3.5 billion people worldwide, which rose from 2.5 billion in 1990, reflecting a 64% increase in disability-adjusted life years over just 25 years, making them among the most prevalent and burdensome noncommunicable conditions globally.¹ Yet, oral health remains marginal within health policy discourse, frequently siloed from mainstream health system reforms in most low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), including India.² ...(Read more...)

1. Kassebaum NJ, Smith AGC, Bernabé E, et al. Global, regional, and national prevalence, incidence, and disability-adjusted life years for oral conditions for 195 countries, 1990-2015: a systematic analysis for the global burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors. J Dent Res. 2017;96(4):380-387. doi:10.1177/0022034517693566

2. World Health Organization. Oral Health India 2022 country profile. 2022. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/oral-health-ind-2022-country-profile. Accessed March 3, 2026.

3. Solar O. A Conceptual Framework for Action on the Social Determinants of Health. 2010. https://www.who.int/sdhconference/resources/ConceptualframeworkforactiononSDH_eng.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2026.

4. Daly B, Newton T, Batchelor P, Jones K. Oral health care needs and oral health-related quality of life (OHIP-14) in homeless people. Community Dent Oral Epidemiol. 2010;38(2):136-144. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0528.2009.00516.x

5. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), 2019–21: India Report. 2021. https://www.nfhsiips.in/nfhsuser/nfhs5.php. Accessed March 2, 2026.

6. Peres MA, Macpherson LMD, Weyant RJ, et al. Oral diseases: a global public health challenge. Lancet. 2019;394(10194):249-260. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(19)31146-8

7. World Health Organization. Oral health. World Health Assembly resolution WHA74.5; 31 May 2021. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2021. https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB148/B148_R1-en.pdf. Accessed March 2, 2026.

8. Lamster IB. The 2021 WHO Resolution on Oral Health. Int Dent J. 2021;71(4):279-280. doi:10.1016/j.identj.2021.06.003

9. World Health Organization. Global strategy and action plan on oral health 2023–2030. 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240090534. Accessed March 2, 2026.

10. Devan I, Ramanarayanan V, Janakiram C. Prevalence of early childhood caries in India: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Indian J Public Health. 2022;66(Suppl):S3-S11. doi:10.4103/ijph.ijph_1078_22

11. Ardakani MSZ, Bayati M. Global situation of oral health coverage toward universal health coverage: a scoping review. Prev Med Rep. 2025;58:103227. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2025.103227

12. Savage MF, Lee JY, Kotch JB, Vann WF. Early preventive dental visits: effects on subsequent utilization and costs. Pediatrics. 2004;114(4):e418-423. doi:10.1542/peds.2003-0469-F

13. Ahn E, Kim SM. The cost- effectiveness of early dental visit in infants and toddlers focused on regional deprivation in South Korea: A retrospective cohort study. PLoS One. 2022;17(6):e0269770. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0269770

14. Murhekar MV, Kumar MS. Reaching zero-dose children in India: progress and challenges ahead. Lancet Glob Health. 2021;9(12):e1630-e1631. doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00406-X

15. Abou El Fadl R, Blair M, Hassounah S. Integrating maternal and children’s oral health promotion into nursing and midwifery practice- a systematic review. PLoS One. 2016;11(11):e0166760. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0166760

16. Christian B, George A, Veginadu P, et al. Strategies to integrate oral health into primary care: a systematic review. BMJ Open. 2023;13(7):e070622. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2022-070622

17. Braun PA, Cusick A. Collaboration Between medical providers and dental hygienists in pediatric health care. J Evid Based Dent Pract. 2016;16:59-67. doi:10.1016/j.jebdp.2016.01.017

18. Suresh KS, Kumar P, Javanaiah N, Shantappa S, Srivastava P. Primary oral health care in India: vision or dream? Int J Clin Pediatr Dent. 2016;9(3):228-232. doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10005-1369

19. Benzian H. Oral Health Atlas 2nd Edition (2015): The Challenge of Oral Disease – A Call for Global Action | Knowledge Action Portal on NCDs. 2nd ed. FDI World Dental Federation; 2015. https://www.knowledge-action-portal.com/en/content/oral-health-atlas-2nd-edition-2015-challenge-oral-disease-call-global-action. Accessed March 2, 2026.