Oral Health and Dentistry in Bhutan: A Public Health Urgency
Date:
Oral Health & Dentistry in Bhutan: A Public Health Urgency
At the Oral Health Policy Dialogue hosted by the Faculty of Postgraduate Medicine, Khesar Gyalpo University of Medical Sciences of Bhutan (KGUMSB), I presented on “Oral Health and Dentistry in Bhutan: A Public Health Urgency.”
Talk Overview
The presentation highlighted the rising burden of oral diseases in Bhutan—including dental caries, periodontal diseases, and oral cancer highlighting oral health as a pressing public health issue in Bhutan. I emphasized that oral diseases are widespread among children, pregnant mothers, and adults, with more than half of the population never accessing dental services drawing reports from national statistics (Annual Health Bulletin, STEPS Survey, Bhutan Statistical Yearbook) and clinical case illustrations. Risk behaviors such as betel quid, tobacco, and alcohol consumption further contribute to both oral and non-communicable disease burdens. Structural challenges, including limited oral health workforce, lack of integration into national health programs, and the absence of specialized services, exacerbate these inequalities.
The presentation called for strengthening the National Oral Health Program within the Ministry of Health, establishing a National Dental Hospital and Faculty of Dentistry at KGUMSB, integrating oral health into broader NCD prevention and primary health care, and prioritizing funding, workforce training, and preventive health promotion activities.
- Implications & Recommendations:
- Strengthening of the National Oral Health Program within the Ministry of Health.
- Establishment of a National Dental Hospital and Faculty of Dentistry at KGUMSB.
- Integration of oral health into broader NCD prevention and primary health care.
- Increased funding, workforce training, and preventive health promotion activities.