Why Smiling Bharat survey is crucial to address the 2nd most common dental disorder

National orthodontic diagnostic drive for school children, young adults

4 min readPuneJul 1, 2024 07:11 PM IST

With its theme 'Smiling Bharat', the aim of this activity is to reach out to maximum households through school children and young adults for diagnosis of malocclusion and associated health issues. (File)

Teeth not aligned properly is one of the most common reasons for the second most common dental disorder found in school children. Inadequate data on the prevalence of malocclusion (incorrect alignment of teeth) and need for aligning oral healthcare with government health policies has led to a pan-India diagnostic drive for children and young adults. Beginning Monday (July 1) ‘Smiling Bharat’, the fortnight long survey, will not only collect orthodontic healthdata but also step up awareness about including orthodontics in mainstream healthcare system for children,” Dr Jayesh Rahalkar, Pune based orthodonist and president of Indian Orthodontic Society (IOS) told The Indian Express.

The orthodontic society is also reaching out to Indian Society of Paediatrics to include “orthodontic check up with an orthodontist” at the age of 7 years for every child in their recommendation to parents in their growth and immunisation chart which they provide at birth of every child.

“We want the government to identify malocclusion as an oral health disease and include it in the health registry,” Dr Rahalkar said.

Why the concern

Malocclusion means irregularities and improper alignment of teeth, problems associated with bite, deformities related to face and jaws. Malocclusion can lead to problems of chewing, gum diseases, cavities in teeth, jaw joint problems, speech problems and obstructive sleep apnoea apart from the problem of improper or unaesthetic smiles.
Early screening of malocclusion is important due to its role in development of periodontitis, dental caries and trauma. In India, the prevalence of malocclusion among school-going children has been reported in the range of 12.5% to 33.3%. .”Although, malocclusion is the second most common dental disorder found in school children, there is inadequate preventive oral healthcare programs in place,” Dr Rahalkar said.

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Smiling Bharat outreach

With its theme ‘Smiling Bharat’, the aim of this activity is to reach out to maximum households through school children and young adults for diagnosis of malocclusion and associated health issues. The aim is also to create awareness about orthodontics as specialisation of dentistry and associated benefits,” Dr Rahalkar added. The Indian Orthodontic Society has around 7,000 orthodontists and 5,000 postgraduate students studying for their post graduate programmes in dental colleges as their members. IOS members will collect data in their private clinics and hospitals apart from orthodontic departments in dental colleges and various orthodontic study groups across India.
“There is a special mobile app made for this purpose, so data will come centrally to Indian Orthodontic Society from various places of actual survey,” Dr Rahalkar said.

Estimating prevalence

The estimation of prevalence of malocclusion, at the national level, should replace the siloed approach of region wise and state wise approach, the expert feels. “The data will help formulate guidelines and national health policies for awareness of orthodontics in general public, and inclusion of orthodontists in mainstream health care system for children,” Dr Rahalkar said. “Lack of awareness is due to the lack of importance given to oral and dental health. People visit the dentist only when in pain, not for regular check ups or consultations,” Dr Rahalkar said.
Awareness among masses will help us increase patient inflow for specialised orthodontic treatment services the expert feels, and further underlined the necessity to align oral healthcare with government health policies such as Ayushman Bharat, ASHA Healthcare Programme, Government Child Healthcare Programmes, Central Government Health Scheme.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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