Bengaluru: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) and the Indian Academy of Sports Dentistry–Indian Dental Association (IASD-IDA) on Friday signed a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru to strengthen oral healthcare support for players across Indian football.
The partnership aims to integrate structured oral healthcare into the football ecosystem through preventive care, education, and referral support.
The MoU formalises a collaboration that has already moved into implementation. At the AIFF-FIFA Telangana Talent Academy, athletes with identified oral health concerns have been referred for treatment through a designated dental institution.
This week, a team of IASD-IDA sports dentists is on a visit to the AIFF-FIFA Odisha Talent Academy in Bhubaneswar to conduct pre-competition dental assessments, identify unmet oral health needs, triage athletes, and facilitate referrals, treatment and follow-up through an identified dental institution.
The initiative has been designed as a continuum of care rather than a one-time screening exercise. Through IASD’s flagship Krida Danta Suraksha – Champions’ Winning Smiles programme, the partnership will combine dental assessments with oral health education, dental trauma and avulsion management, Basic Life Support training, preventive guidance and structured referral pathways.
Over the three years, the programme will progressively expand across AIFF academies, national team camps and other football initiatives. It will also support coach and staff education, the deployment of trained sports dentists at selected events, the development of standard operating procedures for dental emergencies, research, and evidence-based best practices for oral healthcare in football.
AIFF deputy secretary general M Satyanarayan said, “Player welfare extends far beyond the football pitch, and oral health is an important component of overall athlete wellbeing and performance. Through this partnership with IASD-IDA, we are taking another meaningful step towards providing our players, especially young girls, with access to specialised healthcare, while also building awareness and preventive practices across the Indian football ecosystem. We look forward to working together to establish a structured and sustainable oral healthcare programme for our academies, national teams and other football initiatives.”
Dr Ashok Dhoble, honorary secretary general, Indian Dental Association, said, “This collaboration reflects IDA’s commitment to taking preventive oral healthcare beyond the clinic and into the sporting environment. By bringing professional expertise, education and referral networks closer to athletes, we can strengthen safety, early intervention and long-term oral health across Indian football.”
(IANS)
