IADSR

Our Vision

This initiative is dedicated towards building a generation of Pakistani children who enjoy optimal oral health through equitable access to prevention, education, and evidence-based care and therefore enabling them to thrive in health, learning, and life.

Our Mission

Our mission is to strengthen oral health of children (aged 0 – 12) in Pakistan by promoting oral health education through multiple streams, designing community-centered preventive programs, enhancing workforce capacity, and supporting policies that ensure every child regardless of geography or socioeconomic status has equitable access to oral health care in Pakistan.

Aims

To reduce national burden of dental caries and diet related oral conditions among children (aged 0 – 12) in Pakistan.
To design and implement sustainable, community-integrated frameworks for child-focused oral health promotion and surveillance.
To support schools, families, and health systems in adopting evidence-based oral health practices.
To advocate for policy reforms that prioritize child oral health in national public-health agendas.

Objectives

1. Disease Prevention & Health Promotion:

To design culturally appropriate school- and community-based preventive frameworks focusing on oral hygiene, fluoride use, and sugar-reduction behaviors.
To develop and disseminate child-friendly educational materials in different languages.
To use social media platforms as an adjunct for promoting pediatric oral health awareness among general population specially parents of young children.

2. Surveillance & Data Collection:

To develop standardized pediatric oral-health surveillance tools and conduct periodic assessments to monitor disease trends.
To create district-level data repositories to inform targeted interventions

3. Service Strengthening:

To design early detection and referral pathways for caries, malocclusion, and oral infections through collaboration with local healthcare providers and schools.
To expand access to preventive procedures such as fluoride varnish, fissure sealants, and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) in underserved areas.

4. Capacity Building:

To design training frameworks for dental health workers, dental students, teachers, and community volunteers on pediatric oral health promotion.
To advocate for inclusion of pediatric oral health into existing BDS Curriculum.

5. Policy & Advocacy:

To generate evidence to help inform national recommendations on sugar intake, school canteen standards, water fluoridation, and preventive care financing.
To strengthen partnerships with government bodies, NGOs, academic institutions, and donor agencies for child-focused oral-health initiatives.

Conclusion

Child Oral Health Initiative at IADSR is committed to creating a future where every child in Pakistan has a healthy smile. By focusing on prevention, access, and education, we are working towards a brighter future for the next generation.