City-based paediatric dentist makes it to record book

NT Correspondent
Bengaluru

Dr Sudhir R, a paediatric dentist has made it to the Londonbased World Book of Records for the most number of free school oral health programmes organised and conducted by a paediatric dentist and providing treatment for 2,25,659 children in 1,043 camps since 2000 through Department of Paediatric Dentistry, DAPMRV Dental College and Hospital.

“A child fears a dentist more than any other doctor. The psychological handling of the patient is more a task than the actual treatment,” he said. May it be the drilling sounds or the thought of a tooth being plucked out, children dread visiting a dentist, and the atmosphere set up by these camps, where all children are screened under one roof helps reduce the fears.

The camp not only provides a screening of dental issues, but also the necessary treatment required to relieve those issues. “Whatever is available for a child in the urban clinics is also being made available for the most underprivileged in remote areas through the camps,” Sudhir said. Despite the common cleaning and filling, the camp has also seen cases of composite restorative treatment where they restore the tooth structure in case of damage.

“A broken tooth can have a psychological impact on a child, especially high school going girls. We do the restoration for aesthetic purposes, which gives them a self-esteem boost,” he explained. While there are Primary Health Care (PHCs) centres available in rural areas that provide basic health facilities, oral health is often ignored.

Sudhir says three As - awareness, affordability, and accessibility motivated him to do what he does. He says rural households lack the awareness of the importance of oral health and even if they are in need of the services, they cannot often pay the expensive clinical charges. “Instead of them coming out in search of us, we must go in search of them,” he added. These camps also cater to children with disability, Sudhir said.

Parents of children with various disabilities are overburdened with keeping up with their child’s general health and tend to ignore dental issues. The institution looks out for special schools, identifies the children in need of dental care, and sets up camps with all the necessary equipment in the school alone. If further treatment is required, the children are shifted to the institution’s premises and where they are treated free of cost.

Having picked dentistry because he was unable to secure a mainstream medical seat, Sudhir said his passion grew only after he completed his course and was attending his internships. On a visit to an old age home, he saw the need to help the needy. Although he has a practice of his own, this venture provides him a lot of satisfaction, he said.

Sudhir has also been awarded with the India Book of Records in 2020, and subsequently, Asia Book of Records followed. Initially, the camps were conducted on a small scale, where they conducted screenings and fillings. But with the support of the college, the camps have been extended all across the Southern states, to rural and urban folks.

The camps have been extended to a few tribal communities too. Rastriya Sakshina Samiti Trust has also been a constant support and he owes his success to the opportunities provided by the institutions, Sudhir said.