Oral health is an integral part of our general health, yet is the most neglected one. The Indian Dental Association (IDA), in a National Oral Health Survey, 2005, highlighted that 95% of the Indian population suffers from gum diseases and only 50% of the population use a toothbrush. The survey also noted that, only 2% of the population visit the dentist.
A good oral health plays an important role in overall health improvement, improving quality of life, boosting of self-confidence and performance enhancement at workplace. However, the irony lies in the factthatmost people remain unaware of the benefits of maintaining a good oral health. Further, individual’s lack of knowledge, a neglecting attitude, and inadequate oral hygiene practices adds to the oral health problems.
Pyorrhea (periodontitis), tooth decay/ cavities, misaligned teeth, and oral cancer are amongst the most common oral health problems affecting people worldwide as well as in the India. It has also been proved by researchers and has been widely accepted by doctors/ dental professionals worldwide that oral and general/systemic healthshare a two-way relationship between them. This means that oral diseases especially,pyorrhea may predispose an individual to different systemic diseases such as uncontrolled blood sugar levels/ diabetes, hypertension, heart diseases and many more. The implications of poor oral health have been shown in Figure 1. Similarly, systemic diseases especially diabetes may also lead to/ worsen oral diseases especially, pyorrhea/ periodontitis. Thus, to keep ourselves healthy, it is very important to maintain an adequate oral health. 
