Transformation Learning- Department of Oral Pathology

Transformational learning is construed as deep constructive meaningful learning leading to critical ways in which learners consciously make meaning of their lives in order to produce a fundamental change in our world view and therefore true emancipation. The cardinal goal of transformational learning  is to make our own interpretations, in short to achieve ‘Autonomous thinking’.Transformative teaching therefore is to facilitate the student to think on their own. To make the students capable of functioning efficiently in this competitive world.

Two videos were depicted, One showing Dr.Valli Malar in her practice in Madurai and how she applies the training imparted in Oral Pathology department in her day to day clinical practice and how it helps her in her treatment algorithm.

The second video was on Sisira Padavala, emphasizing on her research experience, how she transformed from a student who had to be guided at every step during her research, to how she blossomed on her own, had her own ideas , which she executed and the results that she produced, mainly publishing her research work in pubmed and scopus indexed journal- Contemporary Clinical Dentistry thereby reiterating the theme. 

SPARC - Saveetha's Pedodontic Advanced Revision Course

The fourth edition of Saveetha's Pedodontic Advanced Revision Course, fondly called as SPARC was conducted on the 4th and 5th of March, 2019. Eminent speakers from from all over India who have expertise knowledge in various topics of Pediatric Dentistry shared their knowledge by delivering lectures in various topics such as Pulp therapy, Interceptive Orthodontics, Child Psychology, Behavior Management, Flourides, Early Childhood Caries and Dental Traumatology. Postgraduate students from various colleges in India attended SPARC and found it very informative. Delegates had stated this program gave them a definite edge to prepare and present answers well for theory and viva voce.

Transformation learning- Department of Prosthodontics

The theme for this session was transformative learning. This edify from prosthodontics depicted a true narrative of a student troubled with physical, psychological and emotional distress. The teachers identified all these aspects and addressed them appropriately through physical treatment, emotional and psychological therapy . The students transformed and had shown tremendous improvement in performance.   Dr. Vinay Sivaswamy received the workaholic award from the Department of Prosthodontics.

Women's Day Celebration

International women’s day 2019

  The International women’s day was celebrated on 8th March 2019. The management in co ordination with the women empowerment cell of Saveetha dental college organized numerous activities. As is the norm, women achievers in their respective spheres of life were identified and hand picked for recognition and awards were given away on this day. The event began with a welcome dance by our students and a welcome address by our Dean Dr. Sheeja Varghese. The chief guest of the event was Dr. Kamala Selvaraj, MD, DGO, PhD (Associate director, GG hospital, Chennai -34). She graced the occasion and gave away the awards. She also addressed the gathering and spoke about the health issues women face and advised the young generation about it.

The awards were given to the women achievers by the chief guest, our dean and Prof. Dr. Shyamalaa Chandrasekharan (Dept. of Orthodontics). The first award of the day was the young achiever’s awards and was given to S.R.Tejaswini, studying in 12th Standard in N.S.N. Matriculation School,

Chitlapakkam. She was diagnosed with a disability called Osteotomy of Radius

and Ulna only at the age of 6 when she found it difficult to use her right hand for

even doing basic activities like eating and writing. She is now a national level para awimmer who has represented India at the Asian Youth para games in 2017 in Dubai where she won silver medal in100 M Breast stroke with 834 points. She charmed the gathering with her wise words and innocent demeanor and urged the audience to dream. She also stressed that it is not what we have but what we do with what we have that matters!

The next award was the Inspiring woman icon award which was given to Ms Kavitha Ramu. An IAS officer by day and a senior Bharatnatyam exponent in the evenings, Ms.Kavitha has been performing as a solo artiste for more than 20 years now, with over 650 stage performances to her credit. Having seen her father serve the country as an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Kavitha had always wanted to follow his footsteps. She was initially fascinated by the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) but, over time, decided on IAS as staying in India meant she could pursue her passion for dance. 

Some positions she has earlier held include, Joint Commissioner for Relief and Rehabilitation, District Revenue Officer, Chennai dt, and General Manager for the Tamil Nadu State Tourism Development Corporation. Presently she is the Director, dept of Museums.  Ms Kavitha Ramu addressed the gathering and spoke about how a little bit of planning and effort form our side can help us pursue our profession and passion simultaneously with great joy.

 The next award was the healthcare excellence award and was presented to Dr.Vijayasree Mahadevan for her yeoman service for the poor and needy in the field of cancer care. The founder and managing trustee of sri matha cancer care. To help the people who are in need of the dialysis treatment, Dr. Vijayasree have installed 4 Dialysis unit in their City. In addition to this she wants to create awareness about “Palliative Care” amongst commoners hence she wrote a book called “INI ORU VALIYILLA PAYANAM” (Henceforth a painless Journey) and that book was released by the Governor of Tamil Nadu DR.K.ROSAIAH” on the occasion of world Palliative Care Day. She addressed the gathering and inspired the audience with her speech.

 The social activist award was presented to Dr. A.D. Revathy, who commissioned as a member for Tamil Nadu commission for protection of child rights by the governor of Tamil Nadu as an act of implementation of the Central act, She was assigned as a Convener to lead the Tamil Nadu State Child Policy Committee, After Several Steps of Meetings from the level of Secretaries to the District officials and experts consultation meetings, the draft, Tamil Nadu State Policy for Children 2017 was handed over to the Government of Tamil Nadu. In Feb 2017, a national movement, called, CHILD RIGHT INDIA, was successfully started to uphold the rights of children in the nation. She also started an organization, in the name of, TEACHERS OF PHILOSOPHY, on 15th August 2017 for the purpose of upgrading Philosophical studies and investigation among Philosophy academics in Tamil Nadu. She addressed the gathering about the urgent need for a policy for child and women rights and how we need to fight for it collectively as a population.

The women entrepreneur award was presented to Ms Aarthi Anantha Padmanaban, the Founder and Chief Visionary of Youvolve. Youvolve is a coaching, counselling and training company specialising in Leadership training, workplace Communication and etiquette, Assertive skills, Key representational styles and its impact on quality of work. The initiative for required unique Training methodology amalgamating Coaching and Mentoring , grew out of the desire to contribute positively to the realization of the vision and target set by a company or its units. She spoke about the importance of women being self-full and happy with themselves before embarking on any of their other responsibilities.

 The last award but by no means the least, for excellence in teaching was presented to Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan. She is the Principal of M.O.P. Vaishnav College for Women, Chennai, is an Educational Administrator with over 30 years of experience. She is passionate about research and has published in several National and International journals. She has also authored four books in Management. Dr. Lalitha Balakrishnan has been invited by the US Department of State to visit the USA under the prestigious International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP). She visited Universities of Stanford, Harvard, Yale in the USA and universities in Sydney, U. K and Vancouver. She has held several leadership positions in her career and has groomed leaders through conduct of Management Development Programs for managers in various MNC’s.To her credit she has won The Best Teacher Award, Bharathi Kanda Pudhumai Penn Award , Eminent Woman Achiever Award , Leadership Excellence award and For the sake of Honor Award.  She spoke about the joys of being in her profession and how we should think out of the box and achieve our goals.

The ceremony ended with the vote of thanks by Dr.Anitha Roy from the Pharmacology department. This was followed by another program organized by Dr.Uma Maheswari (Dept of Oral Medicine) and Dr.Brinda (Dept of General Pathology) on general and oral health awareness for Women employees of the institution. Dr. Sri Sakthi and her team from the department of Public health dentistry organized a screening and oral health awareness camp Mary Clubwala Jadhav Higher Secondary school, Egmore, Chennai wherein 250 children and 15 staff were benefitted.

As a special gesture the management also handed out gifts to all women staff of the institution. ☺

“All About All Ceramics”- Guest Lecture

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics organised a guest lecture on “All About All Ceramics”on 2.3.19 presented by Dr. G. Lambodharan, Reader, Department of Prosthodontics, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, Chennai. Successful application of all-ceramic materials depends on the clinicians ability to select both the appropriate material and cementation protocol that satisfy the patient’s needs and expectations. The selection of a particular ceramic system should be based on physical properties such as strength, fracture resistance, wear resistance, long-term outcomes as well as esthetic considerations. The lecture focused on the fact that the dentist must understand these materials and systems so he or she can educate patients and present appropriate treatment options. 

“HORIZON-2019- International Conference Biomedical Research

Pursuing the aim of promoting high quality in bio-medical research, the Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, SIMATS, hosted its first international conference HORIZON-2019 an epitome of Biomedical research in its decennial hall, on 28th February to 1st march 2019.

The conference explored the latest research findings in the field. The programme included 7 well selected key note presentations by eminent researchers which prompted vibrant audience interaction and sparked fascinating discussions. A total of 230 delegates from varying disciplines across the country registered for the conference and presented their works as oral and e-posters in six different sessions.  The continuing commitment of the research community to generate high quality studies was clear with the works presented. The delegates enjoyed a fast-paced programme of the highest caliber research, in an inspiring location. Saveetha Dental College, SIMATS, as an institution dedicated in promoting and fostering high quality research, played the role of a perfect host for the conference. 

Life time achievement award, Out-standing researcher awards for accomplished researchers and emerging scientist awards for young scientists were given in different specialties. Best oral and e-posters of each session were also awarded. 

Integrated Learning of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

In this era of advanced dissected microlearning, there is a growing need to take a perspective that gives a holistic approach of learning that would be beneficial to both the students and the patients. The Department of General Pathology, conducted its CDE on 22.02.2019 (Friday) at Saveetha Dental College, SSM Seminar Hall. The Chief Guest of the day was Dr. J.Thanka, Professor, Department of Pathology, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Medical Education and health Science.  Dr.Thanka gave an insight into the advantages of an integrated teaching Curriculum. The Resource persons of the Day were Dr. Sai Shalini M.D, Associate Professor, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Medical Education and Health Science.  Dr.Pratibha Ramani, Professor and Head, Department of Oral Pathology, Saveetha Dental College and hospitals. Dr.  Senthilnathan, Professor, Department of Oral and maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and hospitals, Dr. Abhinav, Senior Lecturer, Department of Oral and maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and hospitals.

The aim of the teaching module was to provide an integrated learning approach to Oral Squamous Cell carcinoma. The sessions covered include Applied Anatomy and Etiology of OSCC, Carcinogenesis, Clinical approach to OSCC, Histopathological aspects of OSCC, Treatment and Prognosis of OSCC.

The sessions were well received and appreciated by the participants, as it gave a holistic view of the disease process from its applied anatomy to the treatment modalities. The session had 160 delegates from within and outside the college. The participants belonged to II BDS, III BDS, interns and Postgraduates. The session was awarded with 3 CDE points by the Dental Council of India. 

Management of Endodontic Complications

The Continuing Dental Education programme on “Management of Endodontic
Complications” was held on 17 th August 2018. The lecture was delivered by
Dr.Vinod Kumar. It focused upon the existing iatrogenic errors beginning from
Access cavity preparation until obturation. The importance of Case history and
Diagnosis was emphasised. The interactive session threw light upon various
aspects pertaining to Endodontics. It also gave way to update on the current and
existing knowledge to overcome the mismanagement and also an hands on
demonstration was given using Mani Silk rotary files.

Transformation Learning- Oral Medicine & Radiology

During the 6th Edition of Edify, we the department of Oral Medicine and Radiology shared our initiative and approach in Transformative Learning. We identified a student who lacked in self confidence, motivation, memory power and hence we chose him to bring about his journey of transformation. The initial step which we took forward was a Counselling session with our senior faculty members to identify his strength and weakness. We developed new ideas and approaches to critically engage him in activity based learning using scrabble words, picture puzzles and pnemonics that increased his focus, attention and memory retention. Counselling and activities in turn triggered him to frame his own pnemonics to remember and recollect,  overcoming his lack of memory power.He was also self motivated and interested to share his ideas with his fellow mates. We also encouraged him to do short term research projects. Wherein , he himself came up with a research topic.  He presented 2 posters in Star summit and also won best poster award in his session.  As a department we are very happy to see his transformation from a boy who lacked self confidence, into a person who could defend himself for his own research to  the judges and also received their appreciation.

Thus our journey continues with the motto……

“Learning That Changes Lives”

Congenital Anamolies of Head and Neck- CDE Programme

Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental College has organized a CDE program on the topic “Congenital Anomalies of Head & Neck” for the first year BDS students on             12th February, 2019 at 12.00pm, in Decennial Hall, Saveetha Dental College. The speaker of the event was Dr. M. Haripriya, MBBS., MD., Associate Professor, Department of Anatomy, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research, Chennai. 

The program commenced with the warm welcome address by Mrs. M.S. Thenmozhi, Professor & Head, Department of Anatomy. Dr. M. Karthik Ganesh, Senior Lecturer, Department of Anatomy, introduced the speaker to the august gathering. The speaker took the stage and grabbed the attention of the audience completely for the next forty five minutes. The speaker categorized the topic, “Congenital Anomalies of Head & Neck” on three sub-headings, such as the developmental anatomy of head and neck, structures derived from each pharyngeal arches and pouches and the associated congenital deformities. She also briefed on various teratogens and related genetic factors. Since, the topic was interesting, the students listened and observed keenly about the various concepts explained by the guest speaker. She also showed various images on deformed fetuses with developmental defects/syndromes and described about the related genes involved in it. To sum up the lecture was very informative and useful for the students.

At the end, the Guest Speaker distributed the prizes to the toppers in the subjects, for the Weekly Test conducted. The speaker was felicitated by Mrs. M.S. Thenmozhi, HOD and other faculty members of the department. Dr. Dinesh Premavathy, Lecturer, Department of Anatomy delivered the Vote of Thanks.

Transformation Learning- Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics had its 6th Edify on 14th February 2019. The theme was reforming students skills towards academics and clinical aptitude. Procrastination - to keep delaying something or not doing something that must be done, often because it’s unpleasant or boring. Students know that they should do proper tray set up and to keep the work place clean for any type of treatment, but they were not following for all the patients because of time constrains. So to manage Procrastination and time inconsistency we followed a method called “2 Mins Rule”. 2 Mins Rule - in that we teach the students to organize the work place with all instruments and equipments in 2 Mins. The end result is better time management, ease of work and attending to patients on time and completing the procedure. This method had brought a change in an undergraduate student. 

Transformative learning is about how a change is brought in a student both academically and as a whole person. A post graduate student had difficulty in managing his patients on time. Counseling was given to him and trained him extensively in pre-clinical work. These changes his whole mind set and helped him manage his cases well and time management was exemplary. These motivations also lead the way for him to get the best post graduate Endodontics award in 2018.  The whole thing was done as a video and was showcase for the Edify meet. 

Finish Line 2019- Regenerative Endodontics

It was conducted on 11,12 and 13 th of February 2019 in Sri Ramachandra Dental College, Chennai. Three days program which gave a complete revision for the exam going batch on recent advances. Regenerative Endodontics being the most upcoming topic and procedure in maintaining or rather reinitiating the vitality of the pulp. The whole topic from case discussion to treatment protocol were discussed in detail.

GENETICS OF SEX DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENTAL SEXUAL DISORDERS

Department of Anatomy, Saveetha Dental College has organized CDE entitled “GENETICS OF SEX DEVELOPMENT AND DEVELOPMENTAL SEXUAL DISORDERS” for I year BDS students on 08 th February 2019 at 11.00 am, the speaker was Dr. Dinesh Kumar. K, Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Public health, Central University of Tamil nadu, Thiruvarur. The speaker was felicitated by Mrs. Thenmozhi. M.S HOD and faculties of the department. Dr. Dinesh Premavathy, Lecturer, Department of anatomy, gave the welcome address and introduced the speaker to the audiences. As the CDE program lecture started, the speaker discussed and briefed about the topics on embryological aspects, genes involved in determination of the sex by adding scientific features and historical characters. His lucid way of presentation was explained how sex of an individual is determined by genes, hormones, brain, etc. It was very interesting that the speaker discussed about brain sex and mechanism behind it. Finally the speaker discussed about case reports pertaining to the topic, the session ends with an interaction. Overall the session was very informative and new to the audience.Dr. Ganesh Lakshmanan, Senior Lecturer from Department of Anatomy gave the Vote of thanks.

NOO-A no to Anxiety

The department of Pedodontics & Preventive Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals organized a CDE & Hands on Program   "NOO-A no to anxiety" Edition II on 8th February 2019. The highlights of the CDE program included hands on experience for the participants in intranasal sedation using midazolam & inhalational sedation using nitrous oxide oxygen. The e-poster presentation competition for bachelor of dental surgery students added color to the event. It attracted a crowd of 114 participants from various colleges across the states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.  Dr EMG Subramanian Professor & Head, Dept. of Pedodontics extended warm welcome to the delegates. Dr Navaneetha Krishnan, an eminent Anesthesiologist enlightened the gathering with his lecture on "Emergency drugs needed for dental clinic & protocol to be followed in conscious sedation procedures".  Dr Deepa Gurunathan, Dr Geo Mani & Dr Mebin George Mathew shared their knowledge on topics in intravenous, intranasal & inhalational sedation in pediatric patients to an exuberant assembly. Workshop on intranasal and inhalational  sedation followed the lectures. Undergraduates  from various colleges presented their e-posters on topics pharmacological and non pharmacological behavior management in pediatric dentistry. The flamboyant event concluded with Dr Sheeja S Varghese, Dean Saveetha Dental  College & Hospitals presenting certificates and awards to  participants and winners during the valedictory function.