Community resources are strength that builds its future oral health. It improves, maintains and safeguards the oral health care of the community. All dental diseases can be preventable if proper care is taken to maintain oral health.
This entails selection of resources, data analysis, programmes and report on policy and research for improving access to oral health care and quality of oral health for infants, children, adolescents, pregnant women and elderly.
Health professionals, programme administrators, educators and policymakers can learn more about oral health, for programme development and to locate training resources and information.
To help ensure optimal oral health status, health professionals need to increase individuals’ oral health literacy and make oral health care more accessible to community. Efforts to promote collaboration among public agencies, professional organizations and practitioners, need to be accelerated. This will especially develop or expand preventive and early intervention programmes. The resources that will bring about the change are given below:
The publications help to make health professionals, programme administrators, educators, researchers, policymakers, parents and others working in different settings prevent disease and promote oral health in children and adolescents. Oral health magazines inform and relate cavities and gum disease to many serious conditions, such as diabetes and respiratory diseases-the role of the resource is awareness creation, for the first sign of a disease when it shows up in your mouth. In other cases, infections in your mouth, such as gum disease, can cause problems in other areas of your body, like the heart. The role played by oral health magazine is awareness creation about the importance of dental health. IDA has a number of publication like the Oral Health, IDA Times, Clinical Dentistry, JIDA, Product Profile, Dental Events and Student Digest for the benefit of its members. These impart Continuing Education (CE) information and tools; journal articles; policies, guidelines and position statements; legislative and regulatory news and information; and patient-education information.
Leaflets are tools to develop and promote sound oral health policy, increase awareness of oral health issues and assist in the development of initiatives for prevention and control of oral diseases. They seek to empower individuals and groups by providing skills needed to affect change in their own communities.
Leaflets on training and programme promote improved oral health care by professionals. Leaflets impart information along with a press kit with facts, tips, and information about common oral health issues.
IDA’s Tobacco Intervention Initiative (TII), Oral Cancer Foundation (OCF) and Child Dental Centres (CDC) leaflets are platforms for imparting knowledge and skills. These leaflets concentrate around building oral health care through the formation of large networks working for a common agenda.
IDA has a very strong presence online, linking it not only with its member dentist but other dental associations worldwide. Being online makes it easier for IDA website users to gain knowledge through content, images and graphics. Online resources are a tool for professional growth with continuing online education by sharing testimonials and success stories. Our plans are to provide an interactive website with greater control that serves every individual with an easy point and click. The website is involving as a unique informative tool, which is constantly evolving new features and site improvements.
Brochures are information resource for the community packed in simple, crisp, creative style which appeals to all. It is an asset that informs and educates people in a convenient way about good oral hygiene. IDA regularly publishes brochures that offer vital information both for the public as well as the dental fraternity.
Flip charts are a useful teaching aid when a number of people have to be taught at a time to ensure optimal oral health. Flip charts are mostly designed to aid school nurses, school office personnel, teachers and parents in the effective treatment of minor dental emergencies. Although these first aid procedures provide temporary relief, they cannot always solve the dental problems. The aim is to increase individuals’ oral health literacy and make oral health care more accessible to community.
