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DENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS SOCIETY
I) Dental Health Awareness Society (regd), Panchkula came into being on 3rd March 1999 with an aim to spread awareness about the most important but most neglected part of our body. Education is the most powerful weapon to fight a war against all discriminate elements on our planet. Dental health education plays an essential role in not only prevention of dental diseases but also maintenance of good oral hygiene for life time.
The decade of tireless efforts by the team in educating the young and old of tricity has received a tremendous response.The interest, inquisitiveness and the indulgence by all age groups has encouraged us to continue our efforts towards our vision .We have been pioneers in introducing innovative programs every year to make the whole project effective and sustainable. DHAS has also been nominated for ICD – momento by fellow of international college of dentists. Dental Health Awareness Society has been awarded with the NGO of the year award in year 2008 by U.T administration.
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II) Vision and goals of the organisation
1. To educate people about the importance of oral health and hygiene especially children.
2. To reach out to the under privileged sections of the society and provide free dental treatment.
3. The goal of the organization to achieve zero cavity status for all who cannot afford quality dental treatment in its geographic outreach by the year 2010.
III) Field of work
Schools, near by villages, Urban slums ,Orphanages and Old Age Homes.
Major projects undertaken
1. School Dental Health Education: Thru Tooth Fairy Education program 10,000 children were contacted, 3301 children examined and 550 under privileged children received free dental treatment.
2. Dental Health for under privileged children: Orphanages and urban slum schools have been adopted by the society and every year free oral kits and free dental treatments given to all inmates every year.
3. Senior Dental Care: 413 members contacted, Free dental camp for senior citizen council and residents of old age home and five were given free dentures.
4. Rural dental care: Free dental camp and awareness program every month for the near by villages.
5. Oral health education :
a) Talks in schools, Press club, Rotary and Lion's club meet.
b) Essay writing and poster making competitions on World Health Day.
c) Out door picnics at clinic site.
6. Travelling Dental Exhibition on dental health awareness are organized every year at various locations in the geographic out reach.
7. Publications:
Annual magazine on dental health.
Quarterly news letters.
E BOOK on children's dentistry.
Brochures for free circulation.
8. Research:
To study the prevalence of dental diseases among school children.
To study adolescent dental health.
Role of life style changes on dental health of IT professionals.
IV) Methodology
a) Planning
1. All activities are very well organized and meticulously planned.
2. The team of dentists conducting the camp are qualified and trained specialists.
3. Strict aseptic measures and sterilization practices followed during the camp.
4. Treatment procedures are done on Sundays for camp patients receiving free dental treatment.
5. All the students examined receive the report of their dental health status on a proforma .
6. Brochures on maintaining good oral hygiene are distributed to all the school children.
b) Scale of operation
The team of DHAS DHAS team constitutes of four dentists, two dental assistants ,one tooth fairy and one manager
who work in coordination to achieve the goals of the society.
c) Geographic outreach
50 kms strech in and around Panchkula and includes Chandigarh, and peripheral areas of Punjab ,Haryana and
Himachal Pradesh.
d) Funding raising activities
Contributions from members, sponsorship by Trigon Dental ,printing of souvenier, ETC.
e) Target population
About 2.5 million
f) Service charges
Every activity, equipments and materials are sponsored by the Trigon Dental .Free services offered by the volunteer dentists from the near by Dental colleges. No charges are taken for any services rendered by the society.
g) Alliances and partnerships
Rotary club,
Lion's club,
Rural health programs are organized in association with NGO'S.
h) Effectiveness of the goals achieved/number of beneficiaries
The schools adopted by DHAS have shown a marked improvement in oral health and hygiene as there has been
decrease in the incidence of caries among children of these schools. Almost ten thousand school children were
made aware about dental caries and golden rules for good dental health.
The beneficiaries also include about 550 under privileged children from orphanages, deaf and dumb school,urban slums who receive free dental treatment and oral health kits.
i) Innovative Development
1. Tooth Fairy Education Program has received a tremendous applause from school authorities and our team is specially invited for health education activities in schools of tricity.
2. An electronic book on A-Z of children's dentistry is being provided free to all school libraries for mass oral health education.
3. The DHAS will soon be sponsoring the Mobile dental van for rural health activities of the society so that the patients get treatment at the camp and need not travel to far off hospitals and clinics for dental treatments.
4. The society is also putting in special effortsfor preventing oral cancer through the oral cancer screening camps held twice a year at the clinic.
Our innovative approach to educate the masses has started showing the results. We feel a deep sense of
satisfaction when parents confirm the drastic change in brushing and eating habits of their children. As goes the oriental saying:
If your vision is few months, cultivate flowers.
If your vision is few years, cultivate trees.
If your vision is eternity, cultivate people.
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