Danta Bhagya: Bengaluru’s BPL card holders get max dentures in 3 years

Bengaluru: The economically weaker sections in Bengaluru Urban district benefited the most from the state's oral health scheme, Danta Bhagya, under which free complete or partial dentures are being provided, in the last three years. A total of 923 people received complete dentures and 447 received removable partial dentures (RPD) between 2023-24 and 2025-26 (up to Jan).This reflects the kind of financial burden incurred by the residents of Bengaluru when it comes to oral care. On average, in private settings, the cost of a complete denture is Rs 20,000 at a minimum and, depending on material and quality, can go up to Rs 1 lakh. Similarly, RPDs can cost anywhere between Rs 8,000 and Rs 35,000. Bengaluru is followed by Belagavi, Dakshina Kannada, Bagalkot, and Bengaluru Rural districts, where the costs are in similar brackets.
With oral care being expensive across the state, the Congress govt in its previous term launched the Danta Bhagya scheme in 2014–15. "Apart from giving free dentures, this programme also focuses on prevention of dental and oromucosal lesions. The aim is to facilitate senior citizens to have all types of food and reduce malnutrition to improve their general health," said a senior official from the health department.Since the launch of the scheme, the health department issued 41,000 dentures (complete and RPD) at the cost of Rs 5.5 crore to completely edentulous patients or those with more than three missing teeth. Only those who are above 45 years of age and hold a BPL card are eligible for the scheme. The govt is implementing the programme by tying up with 42 private dental colleges, two govt dental colleges, and 13 district-level hospitals.What causes tooth loss? Based on the data recorded by on-ground officers, the senior health department official said poor oral hygiene, periodontic disease (affecting the tissue surrounding the teeth, including gums), and diabetes are the leading causes of tooth loss, while tobacco and fluoride contribute to the staining of the teeth.Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the scheme highlighted how prevalent dental issues are in the state. "While we currently have oral care programmes in district and taluk hospitals, we want to expand it to primary health centres (PHCs) in a phased manner. First, we will begin with high-load PHCs. We are working on that programme, and it might be implemented by Apr," he told TOI.Highest dentures issued DistrictComplete dentureRemovable partial dentureBengaluru Urban923447Belagavi702114Dakshina Kannada577285Bagalkot5212Bengaluru Rural48493*Figures from 2023-Jan 2026 Source: Health dept