Oral health care services and Oral health research at community level are the priority areas as identified for work in the department. The department has undergone renovation couple of times, the last renovation was done in the year 2007 and the OHEC (Museum) was thoroughly renovated in 2016.
Teaching and learning public health competencies through self directed learning and experiential learning are the core activities in the department. Different methods of teaching and learning are adopted in order to reach the students and also the community. Apart from regular lectures, practical and clinical teaching sessions, the department also conducts.
Students are posted to work in rural setting, industrial setting, general hospital setting through the peripheral centers and urban center affiliated to the department and college. Department has four peripheral centers namely,
Faculty members, post graduate students and the internees are posted to these centers either regularly or periodically (Once in a week) to deliver health care services to the target population. Basic oral health care services like screening and diagnostic services, emergency treatment services, scaling and polishing of teeth, simple restorations, chair side oral health education and referral services are provided to the patients who visit these centers. All these services are provided on free of cost basis to all these patients at the respective centers. Those patients referred from these centers to the Bapuji Dental College and Hospital receive a majority of treatments at free of cost and few modalities of treatment at a subsidized cost. Many patients referred from the peripheral centers receive treatment in the department of Public Health Dentistry as the department has facilities to provide some restorative and rehabilitative care.
Dental camps are regular activities of the department. Voluntary Health Organizations, NGOs, Charity Foundations, Educational Institutions and Service Organizations request the department for conducting treatment and screening camps. On request camps and school dental programs are conducted regularly. Camps for special select groups like blind children, differently able children, destitute, orphans and aged people are also conducted. Certain institutions of this kind are also adopted under MOUs. Periodic visits are given to such centres and care is being provided. MDU (Mobile Dental Unit) and the College Bus are utilised for reaching population residing at a distance from the College. The theme is to ----- Take dentistry to the footsteps of the people. The whole idea is to make health care available, accessible, appropriate and acceptable. Students are exposed to different kinds of learning environment which makes learning more experiential, interesting and challenging to the students.
The department is adequately staffed. There are four professors, one reader and one senior lecturer. In addition there is a Biostatistician attached to the college and the department. A dental technician and a dental hygienist serve the department in their own capacities. The faculties are actively engaged in learning new skills and expanding knowledge base by attending CDEs, workshops and doing additional courses as value addition. Multiple faculty members have attended short term courses offered by CMC, Vellore, University of Manipal and NIMHANS to learn epidemiological skills and statistical analysis skills.
The department believes
in perpetually creating and sustaining learning environment,
research climate and service attitude. Students are taught and also facilitated to learn through
various educational instructional strategies. Students are provided a free and
liberal hand to assess the educational activities and provide sincere feedback.
Self assessment of teaching sessions by the faculty is a regular
practice. Students are also assessed impartially and slow learners, under
performers are trained under remedial drills. Faculty strive intensely for
improving the quality of student assessment because we know that ---- ‘Assessment
drives learning’
Conducting research is another area of high importance for the department. In
addition to PG research there are several ongoing UG research projects. The UG
students were encouraged to take up ICMR-STS research projects
and RGUHS UG research grants also multiple UG
students have successfully obtained grants. They were accepted and
also funds were released by the ICMR. The department has the unique credit of having
been granted a WHO-GOI research (Funded) during 2007 and
2008. Our department of BDCH carries the credit of being first
private dental college of India to have been awarded the WHO research project. The report of the
project was published under CAPP of WHO website. Community based
research with high degree of public utility is the focus area of research in
the department. The department has efficiently integrated doing research
with teaching research.
Department attempts relentlessly to harmonize and integrate teaching-learning activities with community service and community based research. We know that the goal is far ahead, we are glad that we are on track.
MOTTO
“Imparting
Public Health Knowledge and Skills to Students through
Community Based Activities”