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Year : 2022 | Volume
: 33
| Issue : 3 | Page : 229 |
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Improving trans-disciplinary knowledge to provide oral health for all |
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SM Balaji
Executive Editor, Indian Journal of Dental Research; Director and Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, 30, KB Dasan Road, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
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Date of Submission | 20-Nov-2022 |
Date of Decision | 22-Nov-2022 |
Date of Acceptance | 23-Nov-2022 |
Date of Web Publication | 17-Jan-2023 |
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How to cite this article: Balaji S M. Improving trans-disciplinary knowledge to provide oral health for all. Indian J Dent Res 2022;33:229 |
Oral health is an integral part of general health. Present evidence indicates that both these entities are highly interlinked and cannot exist without each other. Good oral health is essential for overall health. Though it was identified much, it has been aggressively patronized since the turn of this century. For achieving the noble goal of providing general and oral health to all, there is an urgent need to escalate the integration of several medical domains of knowledge.[1],[2] With every year passing by, the field of medicine and surgery has been increasingly segregated and specialized.[3] For the general public to derive the best of advancements in medical sciences, integration is necessary. With several new domains of science being developed such as big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence, microbiome, etc., there is an urgent need for its integration into diagnostic, restorative, rehabilitative and public dental-oral health fields. The omnipresent inequalities persisting in the health system are a barrier to implementation and integration.[4],[5] At this juncture, there is an urgent need for dental and oral health sciences to expand their frontiers. Integrating the advances and knowledge of medical sciences along with new developing scientific frontiers would help dentistry to provide the fruit of the advances to the common public. This call has to be accompanied by the engagement of the oro-dental research community for translational research. The benefits of advances in sciences have to be transcribed and translated for oro-dental approaches and applications. This would be challenging and involve several cycles before it emerges as a mainstream practice tool.[6]
I believe that the Indian Dental research community will look beyond oral and dental structures, learn the latest advances and nuances in science and with its help, attempt to solve the many unanswered riddles of oro-dental sciences. Expanding the frontiers and trans-disciplinary research may help to provide the goal of oral health for all.
References | |  |
1. | Dye BA, Albino J. Finding knowledge to improve oral health for all. J Dent Res 2022;101:739-74. |
2. | Balaji SM. Future research in oral health. Indian J Dent Res 2022;33:1.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
3. | Cohen LK, Dahlen G, Escobar A, Fejerskov O, Johnson NW, Manji F. Why a radical overhaul of dentistry is needed. Indian J Dent Res 2017;28:471-4.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
4. | Balaji SM. Indian oral health inequalities. Indian J Dent Res 2018;29:404.  [ PUBMED] [Full text] |
5. | Lobbezoo F, Aarab G. Medicine and dentistry working side by side to improve global health equity. J Dent Res 2022;101:1133-4. |
6. | Reynolds EC. Transdisciplinary research: The virtuous cycle of research translation to improve oral health. J Dent Res 2022;101:613-5. |

Correspondence Address: S M Balaji Executive Editor, Indian Journal of Dental Research; Director and Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Balaji Dental and Craniofacial Hospital, 30, KB Dasan Road, Teynampet, Chennai, Tamil Nadu India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ijdr.ijdr_870_22

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