Planetary Health Student Club: Dental Students Movement for Sustainable Oral Healthcare

Case study submitted as part of Lancet Commission call for case studies.

Team members / location: India; Bengaluru, Karnataka

Issue: The oral healthcare sector, despite contributing significantly to carbon emissions and affecting human health, is underrepresented in the planetary health movement. Insufficient knowledge on the health effects of climate change among India's dental profession impedes proactive attempts to improve global health.

Intervention: The Planetary Health Student Club (PHSC) was established by V. S. Dental College and Hospital in 2022 as the first student-led effort, with faculty aid, to address the knowledge and awareness gap within the dental fraternity. The PHSC was involved with:

1. Awareness Campaigns
2. Training Program
3. Research Project

Outcomes:

• Clinical
  Raising staff awareness on inequitable susceptibility of vulnerable populations to adverse oral health impacts.
• Environmental
  The dental waste management workshop have increased adherence to sustainability guidelines and appropriate disposal of dental waste using environmentally sound waste management protocols.
• Social
  Despite the paucity of empirical evidence about the social impact, student behaviour and attitudes have significantly changed, particularly on college campus, as a result of the adoption of guidelines and awareness lectures.

Key learning point: The creation of the Planetary Health Student Club has highlighted the potential influence of young people in enacting structural change on campus. Through the Dentistry pilot of the Planetary Health Report Card, the team explored the scope of expansion to accommodate planetary health and sustainability topics under the dental curriculum to improve student, patient, and institution’s attitude towards the climate change movement.