Most cops have failed the 'oral' test, says Dental surgeon

The inside of policewomens mouths are better than that of their male counterparts a dental surgeon attached to Nagpada police hospital has found His examination revealed that over 40 per cent of police personnel do not follow oral hygienewith nearly 70 per cent of the male personnel having bad breath or reeking of alcohol or gutkha as compared to 30 per cent of policewomenThe problem is worse among the traffic police as their water intake is low causing dryness of mouth which along with chewing tobacco and guzzling teacoffee makes them more vulnerable to dental problemsTeeth troubleStatistical data of the last three years shows that on an average over 1000 policemen and their families avail the dental facility at the police hospital every yearOut of these nearly 700 constables naiks and havaldars including those from the traffic police department have been screened and most of them fare poorly with respect to dental hygiene not brushing teeth before going to bed not rinsing mouth after drinking teacoffee and chewing tobacco gutkha and paan masala consuming liquor said honorary dental surgeonDr Vivekanand Shanta Shripad Rege 58While most havedental cavities plaques swollen gums bad breath and even serious gum problems like gingivitis a few had to be sent to Tata hospital for a second opinion to rule out oral cancerAccording to Dr Rege The need of the hour is giving importance to police aspirants oral hygiene during the selection process itself similar to the focus laid on candidates physical fitness A bad tooth can lead to various health issues right from a headache to lifethreatening cardiac issues and hence it shouldnt be ignored Also the police commissioner bulletin should insist on regular oral checkupsHitech treatmentPolice surgeon Dr S M Patil is looking forward to the new hitech chair the dental department will be getting in the next few months a first since its inception 18 years ago to provide better treatment to the personnelWe have already taken the required specification from the Indian Dental Association Prabhadevi and submitted the same to our superiors at the Mumbai Police headquarters for approval and sanction he said The department also plans to lay emphasis on maintaining personnels BMI Body Mass Index of less than 25 and start a cancer detection camp in coordination with Tata hospital soonWhen asked about the yearly budget allocated to the police surgeon Dr Patil said I am sanctioned Rs 167 crore which is used for maintenance and procurement of medicines at Nagpada 114 beds and Naigaon 40 beds police hospitals12 police dispensaries and two mobile dispensaries The dental unit however is only at NagpadaOfficialspeakAmitesh Kumar joint commissioner traffic Mumbai said I am not aware of these findings I havent seen the dentists report and usually medical camps are organised by the police headquartersSantosh Rastogi joint commissioner of police administrationMumbai Policesaid We have started work to modernise the police hospital and in the next few months stateoftheart facilities will be providedWhen asked if the police circularsbulletins will stress on having regular dental checkups he added I will have to speak to Jt CP traffic When we speak of welfare of police it is not just for police stations or one or two departments but for the entire force We have set timetables for conducting medical camps and NGOs too visit and give talks on the illeffects of tobacco which is part of our ongoing awareness programmePoint of viewVivek Phansalkarcommissioner of police ThaneWe will now be introducing oral checkup along with that of eyes and ear drums in our regular medical camps at police stations Our personnel need to be careful about what they are consuming especially when it comes to tobacco and tobaccorelated products which lead to oral cancerDr P S Pasrichaformer DGPI was very particular about my oral hygiene and would ensure that I did a routine checkup It is true that our policemen especially those with the traffic department seldom get time to even participate in routine health checkups forget getting time to visit a dentist On giving oral hygiene the same importance as physical fitness We will have to apply our minds many candidates who get selected from interior or rural Maharashtra have their own habits since childhood chewing tobacco brushing teeth with mishri etc and these cannot be a reason for not shortlisting them Instead during training they should be counselled to maintain good overall health including oralCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates