19th Graduation Ceremony of SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad

The 19th Graduation Ceremony of SDM College of Dental Sciences & Hospital was held on 22nd August 2009 at Dr. D. Veerendra Heggade Kalākshetra in the SDM College of Medical Sciences & Hospital Campus.

The Principal, Prof. Srinath L. Thakur, welcomed the gathering and listed the various achievements of the college in recent years, including the most recent NAAC re-accreditation in July 2009, which awarded a score of 3.77 out of 4 (94%) – the highest for a dental college in India and 4th among all institutions in the country.

The Director, Prof. C. Bhasker Rao in his address believed that the institution had set high standards already and should now focus in its quest for American accreditation. This will allow graduates of SDM to practice in the U.S. without the need for any bridging programmes.

The Chief Guest, Prof. Vedprakash Mishra, Vice-Chancellor of Datta Meghe Institute of Medical Sciences University, Nagpur, congratulated the new graduates and emphasized the need for rural service for overall improvements in oral health are delivery.

Sri.Jeevandhar Kumar, Deputy Secretary said that SDM stands for quality and that all its graduates should strive for service of all humanity and also continue to maintain the standards of their service.

Prof. Venkatesh Anehosur announced the list of medal winners, most significant of which was President Veerendra Heggade’s Gold Medal for Best Graduate, which was awarded to Dr. Neha Nanal.

Prof. Ramesh Nadiger then administered the Dental Oath to the graduates while Dr. Satyabodh Guttal proposed the vote of thanks.

FIFTH WHITE COAT CEREMONY

The Fifth White Coat Ceremony, marking the entry of III BDS students to the undergraduate clinical programme, was organised in the SDM Dental College auditorium on 17 August 2009. The Ceremony involved the official handing over of the White Coat to students, which they use in clinics while treating patients. The function was attended by faculty of SDM Dental and Medical Colleges, parents and close to 100 students of III BDS.
Prof. Srinath L. Thakur, Principal, welcomed the gathering and said that being a clinician involved a degree of responsibility and commitment. Prof. C. Bhasker Rao, Director, highlighted the importance of the patient in training of students and the need to respect them. The Chief Guests for the Ceremony were Prof. Vitthal Rao and Prof. (Mrs.) Ravikala Rao of SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital, and Dr. Rajan Deshpande, a leading practitioner from Dharwad.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Vitthal Raospoke on the importance of the White Coat and highlighted the importance for doctors to conduct themselves in a dignified manner. Dr. Deshpande said that the white coat defines the dentist and the doctor—it is the symbol of a person who relieves pain and suffering and administered the oath. Shri. Jeevandhar Kumar, Deputy Secretary, SDM Educational Society, Dharwad, presided over the Ceremony and emphasised the great responsibility of doctors for zero error while treating patients.
For their part, some of the students pledged to maintain the sanctity of the White Coat. The programme was capped with a vote of thanks from Prof. Venkatesh Naikmasur, Head of the Department of Oral Medicine & Radiology, SDM Dental College.

The administrative section and Principal's chamber bears a brand new look, courtesy a total renovation that lasted about six months. The renovation of the Principal's office and the administrative wing commenced in October 2007 and was completed in May 2008. The refurbished sections were inaugurated on 8th May 2008. The administrative wing now bears the look of a corporate set-up, with different sub-sections for examinations, security and transport, finance, maintenance, etc. To compliment the new atmosphere, the administrative staff have a new dress-code that reflects their business – like work ethic. In addition, a board room-named the 'Innovation Cell' – has also been added. This is where crucial meetings of the Principal, Deans, Heads and senior faculty take place

USE THE KNOWLEDGE TO SERVE SOCIETY

Sriman D.Veerendra Heggade, President of the SDME Society and Dharmadhikari of Shree Kshetra Dharmasthala called upon the students to use knowledge for serving the Society. He enlighted new graduates on the Importance of seasoned knowledge, drawing comparisions to fully grown timber that still needs to be seasoned for optimal use. Although the timber by it self is strong it needs further enrichment for optimal use, like wise knowledge also requires some amount of enrichment and seasoning for serving the society. Through dedicated service to the society not only will the doctor attain immese satisfaction but will also discharge his duties as gods true devotee.

NITTE University Vice Chancellor Prof. M.Shantaram Shetty highlighted the importance of a plan followed by appropriate action.

Dr. Bhasker Rao, Principal in his welcome speach said that this institution had its humble beginning in 1986 and has done remarkable progress in the field of dental sciences and carved a niche in the health field for the past two decades.

COLLEGE DAY CELEBRATION

JASHNA 2008

RGUHS BELGAUM ZONE CRICKET TOURNAMENT 08-09

RGUHS, Belgaum Zone Cricket (Men)tournament 2008-09 was held at SDM Dental College from 11th to 15th October 2008. A total of 15 teams participated in this tournament.Prof. C.Bhasker Rao, Principal inagurated the tournament on 11th October.

Prize distribution was held on 15th octrober. Dr. Srinath Thakur & Dr.Ramesh Nadiger distributed the prize to winners & runner up.

SDM Dental College team emerged winners & SDM Medical college was the runner up Dr. Varun Shetty was adjuged the MAN OF THE SERIES.

Prof. C. Bhasker Rao, Principal receiving Dentist Excellence Award 2007 of IDRR from Dr. Anil Kohli, President, Dental Council of India at a function held in Bangalore on 4th May 2008

VISIT OF PROF. JOHN WILLIAMS

Prof. John Williams, a renowned Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon from the UK and President of the International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, visited our institution on 6 November 2007 to deliver a guest lecture as well for guidance on matters of education and clinical training.
Prof. Williams last visited SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital in 1990, when the college building was still under construction, and his association with our Principal, Prof. Bhasker Rao, spans for over 30 years. He was impressed at how SDM had taken shape—with the infrastructure and facilities—and commended the institution on being one of the finest centres for training in dentistry, both nationally and internationally. He recollected how Prof. Bhasker Rao and he had conceptualised a Craniofacial Unit, with dedicated ICU and other facilities and applauded the support from SDM Education Society in realising this plan.
Prof. Williams also appreciated SDM’s collaboration with SmileTrain, USA, to treat cleft lip/palate cases and was happy to note that more than 3500 patients had benefited from the collaboration.
He talked on the evolution of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) and emerging trends in the field, such as trauma management. He also spoke about further specialisation in different areas of OMFS, such as cleft lip/palate, oncology and TMJ.
Prof. Williams was happy to note the upcoming International Conference of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery was being organised in India and had high expectations from oral surgeons in India and abroad.

A one-day workshop on the application of lasers in dentistry was organised on the 26 October 2007. Dr. Shalika Merchant, an expert on lasers from Bombay conducted didactic sessions on the subject in the morning, where she spoke on the indications of lasers in dental therapy and the usefulness and advantages of lasers. Dr. N. H. Doctor, proprietor of NovoDent, Bombay, was also present.

In the afternoon session, live clinical demonstration of laser application in dental treatment was performed through closed circuit television (CCTV). The clinical procedures included excision of fibroma and depigmentation.

The Dept. of Periodontics and Oral Implantology celebrated Oral Hygiene Day on the 1 st of August 2007. The day is celebrated to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. G. B. Shankwalkar, a renowned teacher and pioneer in the field of Periodontics.

The day began with inauguration by Sri Jinendra Prasad, Secretary, SDME Society, Dharawd. The students and the faculty of the college and more importantly the patients attended the ceremony. More than 150 patients were examined and treated free of cost. An essay competition was also conducted for the students. Dr. Srinath Thakur, Dean (Admin) and HOD of Periodontics and Oral Implantology thanked everyone for making the program a grand success.

Dr. C. Bhasker Rao, Principal and Dr. Srinath Thakur, Dean (Admin) attended the NOBEL BIOCARE WORLD CONFERENCE ON IMPLANTOLOGY AND ESTHETIC DENTISTRY held at Las Vegas, USA from 20th to 24th May 2007. The conference was attended by more than 10000 delegates from 93 different countries. It was a wonderful educational and scientific event where more than 150 hands-on sessions and 35 live surgical demonstration were carried out.

The new solutions launched at the conference were:

Maxillofacial Software
Nobel Active Implant
Curvy Abutments
Nobel Guide System

There were several workshops including workshop on Zygoma implants which was dealt in detail and was very informative. In addition several other solutions for missing teeth were also demonstrated and showcased at this meeting.

To add to the scientific sessions, there were some wonderful moments such as course dinner along with live concert by well know singer Tom Jones.

Dr. C. Bhasker Rao visited Muscat as one of the examiner for MOMS Part 1examinations held at Muscat on 15th and 16th May 2007. Totally there were 7 candidates who appeared for the examinations and 5 were successful equating to a pass rate of 71%

We are proud that our students have been adjudged best in overall sport performance by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS) for the academic year 2006-07. We wish them, and our dedicated physical director and support staff, many congratulations! Following are the teams, both boys and girls, which take pride of place.

The Girls

Throw Ball
The girls’ throw-ball team participated in the RGUHS inter-zonal competition held at Devraj Medical College, Kolar, on 19-20 December 2006 and, led by Dr. S. Aparna, were crowned University Champions.

Table Tennis
Captained by Shruthi Jayasurya, the girls’ table tennis team finished runners-up at the RGUHS inter-zonal competition held at A.I.M.S. College, Bellur, on 9-10 December 2006.

Chess
The girls’ chess team finished runners-up in the RGUHS state-level tournament conducted by A.R.A.M. College, Koppa. Held on 30 September and 1 October 2006, the team was captained by Pooja Ashivadekar who, incidentally, was awarded the Best Player of the tournament.

Volleyball
The girls’ volleyball team finished runners-up in the RGUHS inter-zonal tournament held at Devaraj Urs Medical College, Kolar, on 6-7 November 2006.

The Boys
Cricket
The college cricket team, led by Dr. Shodan, were champions of the RGUHS inter-zonal Cricket Tournament hosted by K.B.N. Medical College, Gulbarga, on 9-11 November 2006. Some of our boys were adjudged as the best in the competition, including Varun Shetty (“Man of the Series”), Mithun Shetty (“Best Batsman”), and Dhruv Gupta (“Best Bowler”).

Football
The college football team participated in the RGUHS inter-zonal tournament held at Al-Ameen Medical College, Bijapur, on 13-14 December 2006 and were finalists under Prabeer Samathdhar.

Jain spiritual leader Munishri Tarunsagarji Maharaj  visited our college on 5th May 2007. He lauded the service rendered to millions of patients by the institution over the past 21 years and wholeheartedly appreciated the care and concern shown by the staff towards the patients. Commending the quality of treatment delivered at the hospital, he blessed the institution in its endeavour for further progress.

The principal Prof. C. Bhasker Rao, Secretary of SDM Educational Society, Dharwad Sri. K. Jinendra Prasad, Medical Director of SDM Medical Hospital, Dr. Niranjan Kumar, Dean of SDM Medical College Prof. Y. S. Rai and other staff of the institution were present at his visit.

Dr.Shyam Amur, Professor and Head, Department of Medicine, was invited to deliver a talk at Faculty of dentistry, Ajman University of science & technology network, AJMAN,

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES on 1st April 2007 at 10.30 a.m. The topic was “ Medical Emergencies in Dental Practice”.
Dr.Amur delivering the talk on Medical emergencies in Dental Practice at the Faculty of Dentistry, Ajman University of Science and Technology.

The talk was attended by the 5th BDS students, MFDS students, the teaching faculty of the Ajman University school of Dentistry and Dr. Sean Sherridan, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.

Dr.Amur spoke about the importance of being prepared for medical emergencies. It is important to keep the equipment, emergency tray ready and train the dental personnel in the basics of cardio-pulmonary resuscitation and skills of i.m. and i.v. drug administration, endotracheal intubation. He touched upon the common emergencies in dental practice- syncope, hypoglycemia, epilepsy, asthma, angina, myocardial infarction and others.

Dr.Shyam Amur with Dr.Vijay Desai and other teaching staff of the Faculty of Dentistry, Ajman University of Science and Technology. There was good interaction after the lecture and many of the students and staff appreciated the talk. Dr. Salem Abu Fanas, Dean, Faculty of Dentistry, Ajman University, presented a memento and a letter of appreciation to Dr. Amur.

The inaugural function of the ‘Master Class’ and ‘Masters in Clinical Dentistry(Prosthodontics)’ degree program was held at the Auditorium, SDM  College of Dental Sciences & Hospital, Dharwad.  This degree, given by Kings College, London has its residency program conducted at SDM College of Dental Sciences, Dharwad for the second consecutive year in India.  The SDM College of Dental Sciences is collaborating with the Kings College, London to conduct this program. Speaking at the ceremony Principal Dr. C. Bhasker Rao welcomed the faculty and delegates. He highlighted the importance of constantly updating knowledge and the role of such kind of distant learning programmes. He said that such programmes are beneficial not only to graduates and post graduates but also to private practitioners who have well established dental practices.  He also stressed that such collaborative endeavours play an important role in conducting research, exchange of faculty and also for student exchange programmes.

Prof. Rao thanked the faculty of Kings College, London consisting of  Prof. Nairn Wilson, Dean and Head of School, Kings college, London.  Dr. Brain Miller,  Senior Lecturer,  Dr. Subir Banerji,  Clinical Lecturer, Dr. Brett Robinson, Senior Lecturer, Dr. Nic Hodson, Lecturer, Mr. Bill Sharpling, Head of Dental Technology and  Dr. Sanjukta Deb, Senior Lecturer for participating in this programme.  Dr. N. P. Patil and Dr. Satyabodh Guttal were the coordinators for this programme.    

Prof. Nairn Wilson  Dean and Head of School, Kings College, London extended his commitment to improve the excellence of Dentistry by constantly updating knowledge imparting quality education and improving the clinical training through such distant learning programme. He stressed the importance of evidence based dentistry and hoped that the candidates who have enrolled for the training  will benefit in all facets from this programme.

Dr. Narendra P. Patil proposed the vote thanks. He thanked the entire team of Kings College, London, the candidates who have enrolled for the MClin Dent programme and the staff of Dept of Prosthodontics.

‘Service to mankind is service to God’, a motto holds so true about us. As we enter our 21st year we have re- dedicated ourselves in the service of the people. And have initiated “people friendly measures” in the hospital and the college.  We started: altered lunch hour so that our patients need not wait, the patients with acute or severe symptoms will be treated on an emergency basis, patient evaluation and motivation videos and charts are displayed and also approximate treatment time and number of visits for each procedure was described so that the patients themselves could request and schedule the appointments accordingly. We stressed more on maintaining a high level of infection control and sterilization and usage of disposables whenever and wherever possible. 

To understand whether the steps taken proved to be of any benefit to our patients we commissioned a survey monitored by Dr. Srinath Thakur, Dean (Admin.) amongst the patients.

A total of one thousand old and new, young and elderly patients were given questionnaires asking them about reception and registration counter facilities, nature and conduct of staff and sub-staff, duration of waiting, whether they were directed properly to the necessary specialty department for treatment and if the necessary complaints were looked into on a priority basis, educated about dental problems and their prevention and also about cleanliness and hygiene around the hospital.  Finally all the respondents were queried on whether they liked the entire experience getting treated at SDMCDS.  All the questions were in Kannada and English.

The Valedictory function of series of lectures on personality development programme with the help of ISKCON, Hubli was held on 13th January 2007.

Chief Guest Sri. Rajeev Lochan Das, President, ISKCON, Hubli-Dharwad  Sri. Jinendra Prasad, Secretary, SDME Society, Dr. C. Bhasker Rao, Principal of SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital were the dignitaries on dias. 

Dr. C. Bhasker Rao appreciated the series of lectures and stressed on continuing relationship between ISKCON and SDM College of Dental Sciences and Hospital.
Sri. Jinendra Prasad showed lot of enthusiasm for conducting these classes.  He also read out message of Padmashree Dr. D. Veerendra Heggde president of SDME Society.

The chief guest Sri Rajeev Lochan Das had all the praise for the institution for collaborating with ISKCON and promised continued support. For the benefit of the students and the faculty has also agreed to deliver few more lectures on various aspects of personality and overall development of the individuals.

Dr. M. L. Wajpey gave the review of all the lectures and other staff members Dr. M. S. Kowdi, Dr. Anand Tavargeri and Mr. Ambekar gave their opinion about spiritual lectures.

Shri. Lochan Das Explained what is yoga and its importance.  He said yoga is not just doing various ‘Aasana’s’ , but these are just one part of complete yoga.  Yoga consist of 8 parts and requires strict discipline in life.

The speaker also told the importance of meditation in this stressful lifestyle or kaliyug.  He explained the method of meditation by chanting “Hare Krishna Mantra” i.e. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna   Krishna Krishna Hare Hare   Hare Rama Hare Rama , Rama Rama Hare Hare”

This mantra is chanted daily 108 times. By doing this it will relieve stress and tension.

The lecture was excellent and made audiences to think and apply this in routine life.

The Hon’ble Medical Education minister Dr. V. S. Acharya visited the institution on 29th of November. A punctual person as he has always been was there right on dot at 9.30 a.m. He was escorted along the whole of the institution by Principal Dr. C. Bhasker Rao and the deans. He was overwhelmed at the infrastructure, dedicated faculty, over learning students and the good patient input. He very well recognized the service behind our mission.

His tour continued around the campus wherein he visited the newly constructed mess with ultra modern facilities and indoor stadium.

He appreciated the Craniofacial unit where  he was pleased to see the team work in enhancing the quality of life of cleft lip and palate and trauma patients