CHANDIGARH, 02.01.26-A two-day National Conclave of State Nodal Officers on Strengthening System-Driven Approaches to Oral Health Promotion for Schoolchildren and Older Adults concluded successfully in Chandigarh with the adoption of the Chandigarh Resolution, reaffirming oral health as an integral component of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and a key public health priority across the life course.

The Conclave was organized under the National Oral Health Programme (NOHP) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, by the National Resource Centre for Oral Healthcare of Children and the Elderly (NRC FORCE) at the Oral Health Sciences Centre (OHSC), PGIMER, Chandigarh. It adopted the guiding theme “Converging Systems. Strengthening Smiles.”, highlighting the importance of coordinated action across health programmes and stakeholders to deliver equitable oral healthcare.

The event brought together State Nodal Officers of NOHP from across the country, senior officials and policymakers from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, representatives from other national programmes including the Ayushman Bharat School Health Programme, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), and the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE), along with experts from WHO–India. Leading professional bodies such as the Indian Dental Association (IDA), Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD), and the India Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry (ISPPD) also participated.

The Chandigarh Resolution emphasizes strengthening system-driven, preventive, promotive, and early-intervention approaches to oral health, particularly for schoolchildren and older adults, who face a high burden of preventable oral diseases. Aligned with sustainable development goals, Universal Health Coverage, and the WHO Life-Course and Healthy Ageing frameworks, it calls for stronger inter-programme convergence, people-centred service delivery, capacity building, standardized protocols, improved monitoring, and sustainable financing.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Arpit Gupta, who heads the NRC FORCE at PGI stated that the Chandigarh Resolution reinforces the commitment to integrating oral health into broader health systems, noting that convergence across programmes and a system-driven approach are critical for achieving equitable oral health outcomes for children and older adults.

The Conclave was chaired by Dr L. Swasticharan, Deputy Director General (DDG), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, who emphasized the need to embed oral health within national health systems to ensure equity and sustainability. Dr S. Senthilnathan, DDG, MoHFW, highlighted the role of the National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) in addressing the oral health needs of older adults through convergence and continuum-of-care approaches.

Prof. S. P. Singh, Professor and Head, OHSC, PGIMER, underscored PGIMER’s commitment to evidence-based policy support and capacity building, noting that NRC FORCE has been playing a leadership role in advancing technical support and national-level advocacy for oral healthcare of children and older adults.