Oral health comes to State govt’s priority list

With the recent launch of a Mobile Dental Hospital, poor people who can’t afford to travel to faraway towns can now avail dental treatment at their doorstep

Hyderabad: As part of community dentistry, Health Minister Dr C Laxma Reddy launched Mobile Dental Hospital here recently. The Minister said in rural areas the public did not care about dental health which led to serious dental problems. With the Mobile Dental Hospital, the doctors would create awareness about the dental issues, he added.

Speaking to The Hans India, Dr P Bal Reddy, Principal, Osmania Government Dental College and Hospital said this was a new concept, treating patients at their doorstep, as Below Poverty Line (BPL) people were not able to afford to travel from villages to the hospitals in towns. “Such people continuously postpone the dental treatment and due to the delay, they have severe tooth problems. To conserve the teeth, the community dentistry department has come up with this mobile dental hospital,” he said.

The mobile vehicle will conduct camps, with 10 doctors and five auxiliary staff. As many as 150 minor treatments will be done per day in the vehicle. In 2017, more than 200 camps were conducted. The bus manufactured and designed at New Delhi at a cost of Rs 40 lakh has equipment also. “Mobile Dental hospital is equipped with two dental chairs, Hi-tech dental equipment and with required lighting facilities to check the patients and do dental treatments. It is equipped with electricity generator, centralised AC facility,” he said.

He said the van is equipped with Dental X-Ray machine and steriliser and modern equipment and instruments to treat most of the dental procedures and also to perform minor surgical procedures.

Regarding purpose of the vehicle Dr P Bal Reddy said this vehicle was to attend dental camps scheduled throughout the State. At present, the dental doctors were available at dental hospitals like teaching hospitals and Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP) hospitals only, he said and added that consequently the oral services were limited to these hospitals as the dental checking equipment is fixed in the hospitals only.

The Principal said, “It is very difficult to check dental patients in rural areas without equipment. Thus, the mobile dental hospital will give proper dental services duly checking the dental patients wherever required like villages, tribal areas. Thus, it is useful for rural public who cannot afford to attend teaching and TVVP hospitals in cities and towns.”