Children of Viveka Tribal Centre for Learning in Hosahalli, Mysuru district’s H.D. Kote taluk, will have a dental sealants placed on their teeth to protect them from decay and infection.
As part of its Seal India initiative, Vatsalya Foundation has partnered with Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement (SVYM) to apply dental sealants on the teeth of an estimated 1,000 children of Viveka Tribal Centre for Learning studying in primary and high school.
The programme began on Tuesday with a 12-member team, led by Srivats Bharadwaj, applying the dental sealants on a total of 70 children studying in Class X.
Dr. Bharadwaj regretted that oral health continued to be neglected by most people. “Recent studies had shown that poor oral health can also lead to various general health complications. The bacteria in the mouth can affect other organs of the body,” he cautioned.
A majority of oral health problems are traced to cavities that develop on account of decaying. A dental sealant prevents tooth decay, he said.
After conducting an awareness programme on oral health for the children, which included a demonstration on how to brush teeth either in circular or vertical motions and advice on brushing teeth before going to bed, the team of dentists began applying the sealants on the children.
“The procedure is simple. It is non-invasive and does not cause any discomfiture to the children. It does not take more than 15 to 20 minutes. They can eat food half an hour after the procedure,” Dr Bharadwaj said.
“We will be covering all the remaining students of the school in batches. It may take us ten to fifteen days to complete the exercise,” Dr. Bharadwaj said. He was assisted by five other dentists and six dental assistants from Vatsalya Centre for Oral Health, Bengaluru,
Dr. Bharadwaj, who wants to take the Seal India campaign to other areas, said he will next be targeting a few more schools in the tribal dominated H.D. Kote and government schools around Bengaluru.
