A cross sectional study to assess the level of awareness of dental surgeons about national oral health program in a city of central India

: In 1999, the Ministry of Health Family Welfare, government of India, launched the first National Oral Health Care Programme on a pilot basis. This cross-sectional study was contemplated in Indore district to assess the awareness of dental surgeons regarding their awareness about the basic tenets of the National Oral Health program. Type of the Study- Cross sectional studyDuration of the Study- 6 months- January-June 2024Site of the Study- Indore districtSample Size- 100Sampling technique- Purposive SamplingStudy method- 1. First of all, the list of dental surgeons operating in Indore district was obtained.2. 100 dental surgeons were randomly identified from this list.3. Their written informed consent was obtained to be a part of the study.4. Pre-designed semi structured questionnaire was prepared and fed in google forms and shared with these identified dental surgeons5. Data collected was entered in MS excel/spreadsheets6. Data was analysed using appropriate statistical software. : 69% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India. 47% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Manpower support Dentist, Dental Hygienist, Dental Assistant. 41% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Equipment including Dental Chair, X-ray units, autoclaves etc. 41% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Consumables for dental procedures. 37% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- IEC/ BCC activities like Posters, TV, Radio Spots, Training Modules etc. 33% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- national and regional nodal officers training programs. 33% dental surgeons were aware of National Oral Health Programme of the Government of India- Preparing State/District level Trainers by conducting national and regional workshops : The present study clearly indicates that there is need to increase the awareness of National Oral Health Programme not only among dental surgeons but also common men. Government should take active interventions to increase the awareness of NOHP so that more and more people can utilize its facilities.