The Straumann Group Foundation

Expanding access to oral healthcare in India through Muskaan Oral Care

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Expanding access to oral healthcare in India through Muskaan Oral Care

Through a multi-year partnership, the Straumann Group Foundation, Straumann Group India, and implementation partner United Way Mumbai are expanding access to essential oral healthcare for underserved communities in Mumbai and Karjat, India.

Through mobile dental outreach, preventive services, oral health education, and referral pathways, the program aims to improve both immediate access to care and long-term oral health outcomes for vulnerable populations.

The challenge

Despite growing healthcare infrastructure in India, access to affordable oral healthcare remains limited for millions of people, particularly in underserved urban communities and rural regions.

Financial barriers, limited awareness, lack of preventive care, and unequal access to healthcare services mean that many individuals continue to live with untreated dental conditions and pain. Vulnerable populations often seek treatment only when problems become severe, while prevention and early detection remain limited.

Our approach

The program delivers community-based oral healthcare directly within underserved communities through a mobile outreach model focused on accessibility, prevention, and continuity of care.

  • Mobile dental outreach units:
    Two fully equipped mobile dental units operate across selected communities in Mumbai and Karjat, bringing dental services directly to schools, community settings, and underserved populations with limited access to care.
  • Integrated prevention and treatment:
    The program combines preventive services, oral health education, oral cancer screening, and basic dental treatment including scaling, fluoride application, extractions, temporary restorations, hygiene counseling, and treatment of minor infections.
  • Community awareness and education:
    School-based programs and community awareness sessions support long-term behavior change and strengthen understanding of oral health, prevention, and early detection.
  • Referral pathways and continuity of care:
    Patients requiring advanced treatment are referred to partner hospitals and healthcare providers to support continuity of care beyond the outreach interventions.

Who we support

The program focuses on underserved populations facing significant barriers to oral healthcare, including:

  • low-income urban communities

  • children in government and low-income schools

  • construction workers and migrant laborers

  • women and elderly populations

  • people with disabilities

  • populations at increased risk of oral diseases including oral cancer

Over the first three years, the program is expected to reach between 24,000 and 36,000 beneficiaries depending on operational capacity and referral pathways.

Scale and reach

  • Multi-year program running from 2026 to 2028, with optional extension until 2029
  • Two fully equipped mobile dental units
  • Community outreach across Mumbai and Karjat regions
  • Integrated model combining prevention, treatment, awareness, and referral pathways
  • Potential to scale into additional regions over time

 

Partnership

This initiative brings together a collaborative ecosystem of partners:

  • Straumann Group Foundation (SGF) – funding, governance, and impact oversight

  • Straumann Group India – local engagement and strategic support

  • United Way Mumbai (UWM) – implementation partner, outreach coordination, and operational delivery

Together, the partners combine local implementation capacity with long-term strategic support to create scalable and sustainable impact.

Impact

The program is designed to create measurable and lasting impact by:

  • improving access to essential oral healthcare services

  • reducing untreated dental pain and oral disease burden

  • strengthening oral health awareness and prevention

  • supporting early detection of oral diseases including oral cancer

  • reducing structural barriers to care

  • creating a scalable outreach model for broader application in India

Impact is monitored through structured KPI reporting, clinical data collection, outreach tracking, and regular impact evaluation.

Sustainability

The program is designed for long-term impact by:

  • working with established nonprofit and healthcare partners

  • strengthening referral systems and community partnerships

  • integrating outreach activities with local healthcare structures

  • focusing on prevention and recurring community engagement

  • developing scalable and repeatable operational models

  • supporting long-term local ownership and continuity of services

Continuous evaluation and operational learning support efficiency, scalability, and sustainable outcomes over time.

Looking ahead

Muskaan Oral Care represents a step toward more structured and scalable community-based oral healthcare delivery in India.

By combining mobile outreach, prevention-focused care, local partnerships, and long-term program development, the initiative aims to strengthen access to oral healthcare and contribute to more equitable health outcomes for underserved communities.

Additional information and useful links

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