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About · The Need

Why Oral Health Matters

Most oral disease is preventable. These are the numbers that drive our work.

Why Oral Care?

Oral disease is one of India's most common and most neglected health problems.

Over 80%

of dental patients in a national survey (2018–2020) had gum disease.

Gum disease
80%+
1 in 2 children

has tooth decay.

5-year-olds
52%
12-year-olds
54%
15-year-olds
63%
67% & 35%

eat sugar daily, and use tobacco. These are the two biggest everyday risks to oral health. The figures are from the same clinic-based survey.

Sugar daily
67%
Tobacco
35%
The Burden of Oral Cancer

India has the highest number of oral cancer cases in the world.

143,759

new oral cancer cases in India in 2022, making up 10.2% of all cancers in the country.

Share of all cancers
10.2%
79,979

deaths in 2022, or 8.7% of all cancer deaths.

Share of cancer deaths
8.7%
About 1 in 3

of the world's oral cancer cases occur in India (estimates range from roughly 30% to one-third).

70–80%

of cases are linked to tobacco and areca nut (betel quid, gutkha, khaini).

Tobacco & areca nut
70–80%
More than half

are diagnosed at an advanced stage (III or IV), when five-year survival falls below 50%.

Advanced stage
>50%

Oral cancer found early is highly treatable, which is why screening matters.

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The Wider Cost

Oral Health Affects The Whole Body

Linked conditions

Oral diseases come from modifiable risks such as sugar, tobacco, alcohol and poor hygiene, and are linked to higher cardiac risk, harder-to-manage diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and Alzheimer's disease.

$54 billion a year

Unmanaged oral health disorders cost employers $54 billion in lost productivity every year (World Economic Forum, 2020).