Lahore: World Oral Health Day (WOHD) is celebrated every year on 20th of March. It is an international day to commemorate the benefits of a healthy mouth and to endorse worldwide awareness of the issues regarding oral health and the significance of oral hygiene.
To promote awareness around these issues among the dental practitioners and general public, World Oral Health Day was celebrated zealously by College of Dentistry, Sharif Medical and Dental College. It was organized by the Head of Community and Preventive Dentistry, Dr. Amna Nauman Khan, under the patronage of Principal, College of Dentistry Prof. Col. Iffat Batool and Director of Clinics, Dr. Ch. Muhammad Aslam. The faculty of dentistry was fully committed and ardently participated in the event.
The OPD was conducted by Dr. Salsbeel Khan, Dr. Moeed Ramzan, Dr. Saba Saleem, Dr. Owais Naseem, Dr. Sameen Irfan and Dr. Hira Butt. Approximately, 200 patients were catered at the camp. Light was shed in a simple and engaging way to teach them about the benefits and importance of maintaining oral hygiene in order to reduce the risk of associated health complications
A string of exciting academic activities were held to motivate the attendees. A poster presentation competition was conducted by the Oral Biology Department. Ten teams of 1st Year BDS students were assigned topics, posters were prepared under the supervision of Dr. Saadia Rana, Head of Department Oral Biology, along with Dr. Zainab Javed and Dr. Sameen Irfan.
The event provided a unique opportunity for the students to express their knowledge regarding oral biology and dental morphology, and correlate it with the clinical and pathological aspects. The students put in a great deal of effort in portraying their ideas, through innovative and information-rich posters. The participating teams were judged on the basis of the quality of content, confidence of presentation and depth of knowledge of the topic.
A quiz competition named “Battle of the Brains” was organized by the Department of Dental Materials. The students were divided into 6 groups, SUPERELASTICS, ACTIVATORS, ABRASIVES, ELASTOMERS, NEWTONIANS, and RESILIENTS, having eight members each. The students, under the guidance of Dr. Mehmood Asghar (HOD) and Dr. Owais Naseem, designed logos and badges for their groups. The first round comprised of 2 group discussion questions that ended in a tie. To eliminate students, different questions were asked from each group. After an energized and thrilling competition, ACTIVATORS were declared the champions of the quiz. Questions were also asked from the audience, who showed great enthusiasm in answering the questions.
As part of the Oral Health Day Celebrations, table clinics were arranged by the department of Oral Medicine under the supervision of Dr. Aneela Amjad, Dr. Sadaf Amjad and Dr. Saba Saleem. The students were given topics related to oral health, and they presented these topics in the form of informative posters, charts and models. The students were judged by a panel of faculty members, who assessed their depth of knowledge, creativity, presentation skills and ingenuity of the idea. All of the group members put in a great deal of effort in presenting a diverse range of topics of clinical importance.
To continue the celebrations of the oral health day 2018, a presentation competition was organized for the students of final year BDS. A total of 12 presenters were given topics related to the common dental problems and their treatment.
These events were judged by senior faculty members of the Dentistry fraternity of SMDC, which included Dr. Ch. M. Aslam, Dr. Nauman Rauf Khan, Dr. Uzma Shahid, Dr. Saadia Rana,Dr. Aneela Amjad, Dr. Mehmood Asghar, Dr. Faiza Malik, Dr. Uzair Bin Akhtar, Dr. Ali Farooq, Dr. Hamna Khawaja, Dr. M. Moazzam, Dr. Irsam Haider and Dr. Mubashir Rasheed on the basis of layout, presentation skills, creativity and the knowledge regarding the topic.
A prize distribution ceremony was arranged, to appreciate the efforts of students in actively participating in the Oral Health Day 2018’s activities. The event was graced by the Guest of Honor, Brig. Dr. Asaad Abbas, Brig. Dr. Zafar Ahmed, (Principal SMDC), Prof. Dr. Col. Iffat Batool (Principal College of Dentistry), Dr. Ch. M. Aslam( Director of Clinics) and Dr. Amjad Burq (AMS). Participating students from each year were awarded certificates by the faculty members and the Principal, College of Dentistry SMDC, Prof. Dr. Col. Iffat Batool. Unique looking trophies, made from gypsum, containing articulated complete dentures, lacquer sprayed with golden, silver and bronze colors, were distributed amongst the winners.
During the concluding speech, Principal, College of Dentistry, appreciated the efforts of the students and faculty members, in order to make the Oral Health Day 2018, a successful event. She mentioned that the Oral Health Day, the theme of which was “Say Ahh; Think Mouth, Think Health,” was not only to instill the importance of oral health among general population, but was also celebrated in recognition of the services rendered by the Oral Health Professionals throughout the world. She also pointed out the importance of self-discipline in attaining success and achieving goals.
Overall, the activities related to the Oral Health Day, that spanned over a week were highly successful, insightful and full of fun.
