School Oral Health Program
Screen every child, teach every classroom, and put a referral card in every school bag — once a year, every year.
What this programme is
A school is the only place in India where you can reach a whole cohort of children in one morning, in a room where they are already expected to listen. That is why the school programme is the largest thing we do.
We do not visit once and disappear. A school that joins the programme is screened annually, so the same child is examined at seven, at eight and at nine — and we can actually see whether anything changed.
Every time we run it
- A 30-minute classroom session per year group, in the local language, with a demonstration model
- Supervised brushing drill — most children have never been shown the technique, only told to do it
- Documented oral examination for every consenting child, recorded against the school roll
- Topical fluoride application where indicated and permitted
- A colour-coded referral card home to parents: green (fine), amber (see a dentist), red (see one this week)
- An anonymised school-level report within 14 days, showing decay prevalence by year group
Three main hosts
Government schools
Free, always. These are the schools where the programme changes the most and costs the family nothing.
Private schools
Free for the screening; we ask that you sponsor a nearby government school in return.
Residential schools & hostels
Higher-frequency visits, because diet and brushing are institutionally controlled and therefore fixable.
Four steps on the ground
Consent first
Parental consent forms go home two weeks ahead, in the language the family reads. No consent, no examination.
Teach, then screen
Every class gets the session before any child is examined — so they understand what is being looked for.
Screen by year group
Roughly 200–250 children per team per day, examined seated, under daylight or a headlamp.
Close the loop
Red cards are followed up by phone with the parent, and with the class teacher, until an appointment happens.
Where this programme stands
Bring School Oral Health Program to your community
Tell us where you are and roughly how many people. Our outreach lead replies within two working days.