The Department of Public Health Dentistry at Manipal College of Dental Sciences in Mangalore organizes outreach programs to cater to the oral health needs of communities in and around Mangalore. The department has established 4 peripheral centers in areas like Kateel, Surthkal, Moodbidri, and Koyla, and has an active Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with St. Antony Charity Home in Jeppu. Additionally, the department conducts routine oral health programs for the residents of Prashanthi Nivas and White Dove Home. Department also collaborated  various collaborators  to deliver Oral Health Care.

 

Various oral health services, including screenings, check-ups, restorations, scaling, extractions, and replacement of missing teeth,  are provided through a mobile dental bus. Preventive procedures like the application of pit and fissure sealants, topical fluorides, and Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) and Root Canal Treatment  are also offered. Furthermore, the department operates a tobacco cessation center, offering screening, counseling for tobacco cessation, nicotine replacement therapy, and capacity-building initiatives. Geriatric Dentistry services are provided to the elderly, encompassing comprehensive check-ups, restorations, scaling, extractions, and replacement of missing teeth.

 

In 2024, the department organized 1060 camps, where 16,422 individuals were screened for oral diseases, and 9,140 received treatments such as scaling, restoration, extraction, Root Canal Treatment, and dentures. Preventive procedures were carried out regularly. A total of 25,345  were benefited from these outreach programs.