LAUSR

© 2019 Indian Journal of Dental Research | Published by Wolters Kluwer Medknow In 1978, the Declaration of Alma‐Ata articulated primary health care (PHC) as the central means to achieve development in health systems. It defined PHC as “essential health care made universally accessible to individuals and families in the community by means acceptable to them, through their full participation and at a cost that the community and country can afford. It forms an integral part both of the country’s health system of which it is the nucleus and of the overall social and economic development of the community.”[1] Values of equity, people‐centeredness, community participation, and self‐determination defined the ethos of PHC. Forty years after the Declaration at Alma‐Ata, people are healthier, wealthier, and are living longer. However, this progress has not been equal, especially in terms of burden of oral diseases.