Effect Of General Health Education On Oral Health In Anganwadi Schools

Health education is indispensible in achieving individual and community health. John M Last has defined it as “the process by which individuals and groups of people learn to behave in a manner conducive to the promotion, maintenance or restoration of health”. The government of India on 2nd October in 1975 in pursuance of the national health policy for children initiated the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) which aims at the delivery of a package of basic health services to children less than six years of age. ICDS Scheme is one of the world’s largest and most unique outreach programs for early childhood care and development. This program is specifically designed to reach disadvantaged and low income groups, for effective disparity reduction and promotes holistic development of children. Studies have demonstrated that the health of individuals from the lower end of the socioeconomic scale is markedly worse than that of individuals from the upper end. This relationship exists across a broad range of health indicators, including dental health. Hence prevention through health education may be considered as the most acceptable and cost-effective way of ensuring oral health.