PUDUCHERRY: The final year students of Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences celebrated their batch-day with the residents of Narikurava Colony at Karuvadikuppam on Monday.
They organised a public health dental camp by pooling in contributions and sharing the resources with the Narikuravas. Around 75 students, 20 interns, three faculty members, two attenders and one social worker with the dentistry gadgets, essential medicines and items like tooth pastes, mouthwash etc assembled at the colony.
The colony is in a bad state with the houses in a dilapidated condition and the surroundings full of garbage, where pigs forage for food. But none of this deterred the determined students, who set up shamianas and installed the equipment needed for dental treatment.
After hesitating, Narikuravas approached the future dental doctors who treated them despite the stench-filled atmosphere.
J John Shibin, one of the final year students, told Express that they explained to the Narikuravas about the necessity of maintaining dental hygiene and distributed toothpastes and mouthwash.
Dr M Senthil, dental surgeon and Reader with the Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences, after examining some of the patients, said they had tried ‘their own methods’ for the extraction of tooth with the use of an iron wire.
The Narikuravas were assured of free advanced treatment at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Dental Sciences provided they go to the institute with the prescription given at the camp.