KL Desk
Srinagar
If the increasing rush of patients at the dental college Srinagar is an indication, there has been a steep increase in the cases of oral and dental diseases in the valley over past few years.
According to official figures, the government dental college Srinagar in the year 2012 treated 109980 out patients. The doctors at the college have also conducted 557 major operations while the number of minor operation was 18532.
Official sources told KNS, with the increase in dental diseases, dental college Srinagar is facing rush of patients from various districts of the valley with varying range of diseases regarding teeth and mouth.
Experts believe that the steep increase in cases of oral and dental diseases is mainly due to lack of awareness on oro-dental hygiene among people.
“We are doing our bit to make people aware. Apart from providing medical treatment and consultation to the patients, college has also organized 145 seminars during the year 2012 to make aware the people about prevention of tooth diseases and published 12 journal clubs. We also conducted 38 dental camps at different places during that year”, said a senior doctor at the college
When contacted, principal of the college, Dr Riyaz Ahmad said the doctors at the dental college hospital prioritize saving patient’s teeth rather than extracting them. “There are lots of patients visiting hospital suffering various problems with their teeth. Our first and foremost priority is to save their natural teeth and if there is no possibility of saving them then we go for other options”, said Dr. Riyaz Ahmad.
“In my opinion tooth pain is one of the intolerable pain for an individual that is why 90 per cent patients visiting our hospital ask for extraction of teeth’ but we always try to save their teeth by utilizing different methods of modern technology available in the institute”, he added.
The principal said that the union government has already accorded permission to the college for undertaking post-graduate courses in various faculties. “government of India has granted permission to the college to start post graduation course in orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics with 2 seats, oral medicine and radiology with 2 seats, prosthodontics and crown and bridge with two seats”, said principal of dental college Dr. Riyaz Farooq. “In year 2012, 50 students were admitted for BDS courses, 12 for MDS courses in 6 departments with two seats for each department and one student admitted for dental hygienist course”, he informed.
Regarding certain complaints that artificial teeth to patients are being implanted by students and not by expert doctors, he said, “It is only experts who perform such activities and we’ve 15 experts for that. Students cannot do it till they are certified by competent authority”, he replied. “We have best technology and best doctors here and people should approach us whenever they need our services”, he added.
