• Dental Chairs : In terms of infrastructure, the department is second to none in the nation, providing 29 dental chairs for treating patients at the under-graduate level and 15 chairs at the post-graduate level. The chairs are top of the line models from Kavo (Germany), J. Morita Corporation (Japan) and Confident (India).
• Seminar Room, Library and Laboratory : The department also has a seminar room where presentations are delivered and academic discussions conducted. A small departmental library is adequately stocked with textbooks, which can be referred to by everybody. A well- equipped departmental laboratory aids in fabricating indirect restorations for patients under our care.
• Pre-clinical Section : The pre-clinical section has a unique clinical simulation lab equipped with 50 phantom heads procured from Germany and is centrally air-conditioned. Training in the second year of under graduation involves activities to be performed on teeth mounted on these phantom heads before they actually enter clinics and start working on patients in the subsequent year.

Other Features:

• In terms of equipment, the use of electrically operated chairs and high-speed hand pieces was instituted from the very beginning
• The residents make use of a radiography unit placed in the department premises
• Making inroads in the utilisation of cutting technology, the department offers digital radiographic analysis to its patients which in turn allows the clinician a great deal of flexibility with the image and also saving a great deal of time
• An intra oral camera is extensively used for photographic imaging
• Treatment of patients start with an effective diagnosis. The clinical skills of the operator are augured by several electronic devices like pulp testers and fibre optic illumination
• Light cure composite kits are regularly used in keeping with the spirit of propagating aesthetic dentistry to the common man at very affordable prices
• For enhanced patient and operator safety, the use of rubber dam kits is emphasized upon
• Operator convenience and efficiency is greatly enhanced in the clinics with a four-handed dentistry approach
• A kit for bleaching of discoloured teeth
• Rotary endodontic instruments
• An electronic apex locator, namely the Dentaport ZX system with Endowave instruments
• Thermoplasticised materials for root canal fillings, including Obtura II and Therma Prep systems

Patient Care:

On an average, the department handles 50-60 patients per day, of which the third and final years manage approximately a third. What are the treatment options that are offered to the patients? Well, a host of them, ranging from the very basic amalgam to the latest in tooth coloured restorations.

For patients in need of endodontic therapy, root canal treatment is performed and endodontic surgeries where applicable. Aesthetic Dentistry is very much in vogue with the cosmopolitan and increasingly looks-conscious population. With an ever-increasing demand for this sub-specialty, newer materials and techniques are adopted to upgrade those already in use, thereby furthering the philosophy of fusing the ‘art’ component with that of the ‘science’.

The ethos and the driving force for each member of the department, “Spreading Smiles across the Miles”, reflects the essence of what our institution stands for. The vast patient base for the department is from Mangalore in Dakshin Kannada to areas in North Kerala, Goa and other neighbouring states and even abroad. Keeping in perspective the increasing cost of dentistry for the underprivileged, the department tries to provide free treatment for 30% of its patients thus re-emphasizing the social significance of our profession.