CANCER BIOMARKERS IN CLINICAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

The hands on workshop on “Cancer biomarkers in clinical research and development” started with a guest lecture by Dr. Elumalai Perumal, Scientist- Research co-ordinator, Central Research Laboratory, Meenakshi Medical College, hospital and research institute. The lecture focused on the fundamentals of cancer biomarkers and the technological advancements in biomarker discovery and its clinical applications. The lecture was followed by hands on training by Dr. Paramasivam, Research Scientist, Dental Research Cell. Students and faculty members were trained to isolate RNA from blood sample, followed by conversion into cDNA and quantification using real time PCR. The results of each of the procedure and trouble-shooting were explained in detail.  Post graduate students, interns, research scholars and faculty members from various institutions such as Anna University, Sathyabama dental college, Adiparasakthi Dental College, Chettinad dental college etc., participated in the workshop. The students were enlightened about the gene expression patterns with a special emphasize on cancer biomarkers. The positive feedbacks from the students and faculty members were very encouraging.

SU- SWAGAT: Gender Sensitivity Program & Antiragging

SU- Swagat, a program designed as a token of welcoming the fresher’s (New Candidates) amalgamated with students welfare activities and gender sensitivity program. It is being organized every academic year. 

SU-SWAGAT provides scope, opportunities and facilities for the all-round development of personality and leadership qualities among the students. The students are grouped into several teams. Each team consists of equal representation from freshers and existing seniors from various academic years.

The programme comprised of team building activities, leadership development skills, debates, group discussions, clay modeling, Treasure hunt, Tug of War and various games. These games based activities help the students to develop the sense of socialization and instigate leadership qualities. The program ended with a small cultural program by the freshers, who enthusiastically came forward to show up their talent. Various prizes were distributed to the participants. 

Gender Sensitivity Program:

The concept of gender sensitivity has been developed as a way to reduce barriers to personal and economic development created by sexism. Gender sensitivity helps to generate respect for the individual regardless of sex. Gender sensitivity is not about pitting women against men. On the contrary, education that is gender sensitive benefits members of both sexes. It helps them determine which assumptions in matters of gender are valid and which are stereotyped generalizations. Gender awareness requires not only intellectual effort but also sensitivity and open mindedness. It opens up the widest possible range of life options for both women and men. 

Students were encouraged to speak on gender issues and educated on its applicability in daily life as well as in professional career. 

Anti - Ragging Workshop

As a part of Su Swagat, Anti ragging workshop was conducted on 5th October 2019 for the students of I and II BDS as per DCI Regulations. Dr.Pramod Kumar Gandra, DCI Council Member, was the speaker for the awareness talk. It was attended by The Dean, The

Associate Deans, Professors, Heads of various departments and anti-ragging committee along with the students.

Dr. Pramod Kumar addressed the students about the untoward effects of Ragging. They were shown videos of Ragging and the consequences of it. He also discussed in detail about the punishment and penalty for such act legally. With all the above activities the program by means of holistic approach gives no space for ragging. 

Probiotics and Caries Prevention

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “Probiotics and Caries Prevention” on 20.9.19 at Saveetha Dental College presented by Dr. S. Poorni, Reader, Sri Venkateshwara Dental and Hospital, Thalambur. The occurrence of dental caries due to the vital role of the microbial biofilm is a subject of interest for both researchers and clinicians who are looking for means to establish the methods for prevention and treatment of the disease. Though there are a number of caries prevention strategies that are evolving, fluorides and probiotics have always been an indispensible part of it. Probiotics are at present the subject of ardent and extensive research, especially in caries prevention wherein administration of an adequate number of live microorganisms will provide oral health benefits to the host. The speaker briefly discussed on caries formation and highlighted on preventive strategies including fluorides and probiotics.

Radiographic Considerations in Endodontics

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “Radiographic Considerations in Endodontics’ on 26.9.19 at Saveetha Dental College presented by Dr. Vidya Jayaram, Assistant Professor, Tamilnadu Government Dental College, Chennai. This lecture aimed to cover the various imaging techniques available and their use pertaining to the field of endodontics. Conventional radiography still remains the mainstay of  imaging in endodontics on a day to day basis. In that line its uses, limitations and how best to enhance the information gleaned from two dimensional radiographic methods was discussed. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), a contemporary, three-dimensional diagnostic imaging system designed specifically for use in the maxillofacial skeleton with significant advantages in endodontic imaging was elaborated. In addition the use of endodontic radiographs in forensic odontology was highlighted. 

Operative/ Endodontic Considerations in Orthodontics with a note on Adjunctive Orthodontics

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “Operative/ Endodontic Considerations in Orthodontics with a note on Adjunctive Orthodontics” on 27.9.19 presented by Dr. Mohamed Iqbal, Senior Assistant Professor, Tamilnadu Government Dental College, Chennai. The goal of any branch of dentistry is to attain a functional occlusion. Orthodontics achieves this goal by correcting malocclusions to optimal occlusion. Over the last decade an increasing number of adults are orthodontic care seekers. Refinements in force application and surgical techniques have made it possible to provide orthodontic treatment to this section. However in adults there is an inevitable degradation in the dentition, at least in most of the cases. This makes interdisciplinary treatment, involving periodontal care, operative/endodontic care and prosthodontic care, a key clinical paradigm. This lecture primarily focused on the fundamental aspects of operative/ endodontic considerations in orthodontics. Followed by a note on adjunctive orthodontics.

“SNiP: the vital acronym defining human genetic variations”

The research wing of Saveetha dental College - Biomedical Research Unit and Laboratory Animal Centre - Dental Research Cell, organised a one day workshop on “SNiP: the vital acronym defining human genetic variations”. Single nucleotide polymorphisms, the SNPs or SNiPs are the most common form of genetic variations which determines an individual’s susceptibility or resistance to a particular disease condition. In addition, the genetic variations also play a vital role in influencing the drug response, with a profound effect on pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. The goal of the workshop was to address the importance of these genetic variations and their association with various disease conditions. About 50 students and faculty members from different institutions such as Madras Medical College, Tamil Nadu Government Dental College, Sri Balaji Dental College, Adiparasakthi dental college, Sri Ramachandra, Madha, Meenakshi and Ragas dental college participated in the workshop. The workshop started with a lecture delivered by Dr.J.Vijayashree Priyadharsini on “Human Genetic variations and its applications in clinical research”. The participants were divided into two batches to proceed with the hands on training session. Dr.A.Paramasivam and Dr.J.Vijayashree demonstrated the methods of genomic DNA isolation from blood sample, PCR and RFLP-genotyping procedures. Students were allowed to process the samples independently and each one of them was given special attention during the procedures. They were very interactive and enthusiastic while performing the molecular techniques. The results of the procedure and interpretation of results was also discussed. The staff members and students were excited to know about the applications and recent advancements in Human Genetics. The programme turned out to be grand success with lots of positive feedbacks from the students and staff members.

Induction Ceremony-Undergraduates 2019

The Induction program for the 2019 batch of BDS students was held on 11th September 2019 at the MM Convention Center at Saveetha dental college.100 students along with the parents/guardians attended the function.The occasion was graced by Founder Chancellor Saveetha University Dr. N. M. Veeraiyan, Director of Academics Dr.Deepak Nallaswamy, Vice Chancellor Dr. Rakesh Sharma, Registrar Dr.Thiyagarajan , Dean Dr. Sheeja Varghese, Dean of faculty Dr. Jayakumar. Dr. S.K. Katharia, Executive Council Member, Dental Council of India was the chief guest of the day. The event began with the welcome address by the Dean Dr. Sheeja Varghese followed by inspiring addresses by our Honorable Chancellor and Vice chancellor. Our chief guest addressed the students and congratulated them on choosing this institution for their graduation. He expressed his contentment and appreciation for the innovative curriculum and infrastructure in our college; something he hadn’t seen anywhere else in the country. The function proceeded with an address from our director of academics Dr.Deepak Nallaswamy on how we plan our curriculum and the modifications we have introduced to make it more suitable for our students. Saveetha Dental College stands tall and  proud  in the arena of  publication amongst national and international dental colleges with highest number of manuscripts in all three popular indexing database which includes Scopus, Pubmed and Clarivate Analytics. The audience was vibrant and energetic and consisted of the budding dentists, their proud parents and faculty of Saveetha Dental College. White Coat Ceremony formed the heart of the function. The auditorium reverberated with oath administration. There was positivity and a new zeal amongst all the freshers for beginning their new phase of life. The event ended with a vote of thanks by our Dean of Faculty Dr.N.D Jayakumar. 

Alumni Meet-2019

Alumini meet of batch 1994 was held on 18th August 2019. This was a special day to them as it was this very same date in 1994 that all of them met each other for the first time. This meet included dedication of all the staff including tutors of their time. The main stage dignitaries were Dr NM veeraiyan, Dr rajagopal, Dr Deepak nallasamy, Dr ND Jayakumar. Dr rajagopal's son Dr ilaya ramanan rajagopal is a part of this batch. The meeting was attended by 288 participants including 50 members from the 1994 batch. During the meeting all staff and students who left for God’s abode were remembered. Each one were spoken fondly and in depth. The staff individually were felicitated by a batch member. It concluded with a juggler act and a sumptuous lunch.

Importance of Animal Experimentation in Biomedical Research- Hands on Workshop

Biomedical Research Unit and Laboratory Animal Centre (BRULAC) and Dental Research Department (DRD) organised a one day seminar cum workshop on “Importance of Animal Experimentation in Biomedical Research”. There were 54 external members, who had participated as delegates from various eminent institutions like Central Leather Research Institute, SRM University, Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute, The New College, Dr. ALM Post Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Karpaga Vinayaga College of Engineering and Technology, Rajalakshmi Engineering College, SIET college, MAHER University and DKM College (Vellore). The morning seminar session, was graced by eminent Guest Speakers- Prof. Dr. R. Vijayaragavan, Director of Research, SIMATS and Prof. Dr. E. Sukumar, Dean Research, SIMATS who delivered keynote lectures on importance of biomedical research in animals. Animal handling techniques such as routes of drug admiration, blood collection techniques, anesthesia techniques, creation of wound models, animal sacrifice and organ isolation and tissues preparations for histopathology and marker analysis were demonstrated by the BRULAC scientists in post lunch session.

Edify- Department of Periodontics

The Department of Periodontics presented their Edify video on 12.9.2019 on the concept of innovative teaching. Game play activities like Decode, 3D activity (Describe, Depict, Discover), Perio connections and Odd man out were conducted. The Decode activity was carried out to reinforce the important abbreviations and terminologies in chapters like immunology. An abbreviated term and a related picture was displayed. The students were asked to expand the term with the help of the displayed picture. In the 3D activity, the students were divided into groups. One student from each group was asked to describe a term given and the other members had to guess the term. If they failed to do so, the student then had to draw or enact the term and the other members had to discover it. In the perio connections activity, a photo or two were displayed along with one or two letters from the answer. The students had to make up the answer with the help of the photos displayed. In the odd man out activity the students were divided into groups. Students of each group had to write some true statements about a particular topic and one false statement. The students from the other group had to spot the odd or the false statement and give the reason for it. On the whole, these activities helped the students to retain whatever is taught for a longer period, increased their curiosity to know and learn more about certain terms and enhanced the critical thinking skills of students. 

CoDiagnostiX planning software - Sophisticated and User friendly

Department of Implantology in association with the Straumann Company, organised a one day workshop on 27th August, 2019 on digital implant planning software ‘coDiagnostiX’. It was attended by a group of 50 enthusiastic students pursuing Masters in the field of Prosthodontics, Periodontology and Implantology along with a few clinicians. The session was very interactive and students got a hands-on with the software. The trainer, Achim Kettler who is the Global Market Manager Dental Wings Guided Surgery enlightened the students on various aspects of the software. 

With CoDiagnostiX  one can plan dental implant placements precisely and easily. It also helps one to design drill guides to perform implant surgery in a fast, precise, and safe manner with predictable results. CoDiagnosticX is distinguished by numerous measurements and planning functions, an implant database covering a well-known manufacturers, and precise analyzing capabilities. It is also CE marked and FDA approved. The program was a success and we hope to bring this software to use soon in our college.

DTX guided surgery and digital workflow training cum workshop

Department  of Prosthodontics  and implantology organised  ‘’DTX guided surgery and digital  workflow training cum workshop ’’ on  8th and 9th august 2019 in collaboration   with nobel clinician. Post graduate of Prosthodontics  student and Fellow’s of implantology participated in the program.

 It was an amazing two day  session by Dr. KBS  Kuckreja and Mr. Ramachandran   on the first day of the  workshop. Dr. KBS  Kuckreja gave  an insight of the  entire digital workflow  guided implant surgery followed by a hand‘s  training. Mr. Ramachandran gave us a technical   insight of the surgical template on the second day.

We  learnt the importance of digital workflow for precise implant placement  as well as the technical aspects of surgical guide . Digital workflow being the future of dentistry it was truly a great opportunity   to learn.  

Australian Dental Implant Course

The Australian Programme course was conducted in the month of August 2019. This continuing Programme provided a comprehensive review of dental implantology a hands on programme for 8 participants from various countries. All the participants received one to one mentorship with 12 implants placement in live patients. Extensive lecture casts for an hour followed by surgical implant placement was carried out in one week duration.

Nanobiomedicine Preparation and Applications (Nanoz-2K19) Workshop

The Nanobiomedicine Lab, Aquatic Nanotoxicology Unit and Department of Research, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, SIMATS, Chennai had organised the 1st Workshop on Nanobiomedicine Preparation and Applications (Nanoz-2K19) on August 30th, 2019. Nanotechnology is an emerging field and having lot of applications in diagnosis and treatment of various diseases. Nanoparticles have wide range of applications in dentistry especially nanosilver, nanozinc, nanocopper and chitosan nanoparticles in antimicrobial activity against oral pathogens and anticancer activities, nanocarbon, nanosilica and dendrimers in bio-mineralization, gold nanoparticles in drug delivery systems, hydrogels, metal nanoparticles in periodontology, endodontics, orthodontics and bone filling products. Dr. D. J. Mukesh Kumar, Post-Doctoral fellow from Madras University delivered a Guest Lecture on “Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology”, followed by which Dr. Rajeshkumar gave a crisp Introduction & Description of Nanobiomedicine Lab. About 30 delegates from all over the state participated in the workshop. This workshop was structured in such a way that, the techniques of Nanoparticles preparation (Silver, zinc oxide, silica, zirconium, and copper oxide), Nanocomposites preparation, Characterization using UV-vis spectroscopy, Purification, Antimicrobial activity, Antioxidant activity, Anti-inflammatory activity, Brine shrimp lethality assay (Cytotoxic effect) and Zebra fish embryonic toxicology were illuminated. The 1st Workshop on Nanobiomedicine Preparation and Applications turned out be very interactive and informative.

Anterior Biomimetics

The department of Aesthetic dentistry in association with European society of cosmetic dentistry  and GC conducted a CDE programme on “Anterior Biomimetics” on 30th August 2019. Dr. S. Arun Suraj, Director Dr. Arun’s 32 Pearls dental centre, was the invited guest speaker for the programme.  The lecture highlighted the importance of biomimetics in Aesthetic dentistry and also on the current trends on digital smile designing. There were around 60 participants who had attended the programme. A separate live demo and hands on session on anterior composite build up and polishing was conducted post lunch. This programme aided them to master their clinical skills in anterior composite restoration and was well appreciated by the participants.

Edify- Department of Public Health Dentistry

The department of Public Health Dentistry showcased its 6th edition of Edify on Activity Based Learning on 22nd of August. Public health dentistry in its true sense mainly focuses on promoting community oral health through evidence-based practice and primary health care approach. Students as part of field activity were given first-hand experience as how a primary health center functions, which is the work horse of health care delivery in India. Further, they also learnt hands on training on one of the basic packages of oral care- Alternative Restorative Treatment. Lastly, the history of fluoride was made easy as students prepared a road map in reality to reinforce relevant dates and events. The audience awarded a cumulative score of 7.7 for our presentation. Worthy of mention, both workaholic and punctuality award were awarded to our head, Dr. Meignana Arumgham I. by our director Dr. Deepak Nallasamy and our Dean. Dr. Sheeja Varghese.

Oral Hygiene Day

The Department of Periodontology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals celebrated Oral Hygiene Day on 1st August, 2019 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Dr. G. B. Shankwalker, the doyen of Indian Periodontics by organizing dental camps at peripheral sites. We stressed the importance of oral health in the community by distributing oral hygiene awareness pamphlets and oral hygiene aid kits to the public. We motivated the patients on oral hygiene by displaying video demonstration on oral hygiene maintenance. As a part of Oral hygiene day, Oral B sponsored program on ‘Modern Day Oral Hygiene Aids” conducted in association with Indian Dental Association that week. Over 600 patients benefited from these series of activities conducted.

Digital workshop for dental prosthesis : ISPRP preconference workshop

The ISPRP preconference workshop the department of prosthodontics conducted digital workshop for dental prosthesis fabrication by Dr.Ashok. The participants used the digital module to fabricate a 3 unit bridge starting from scanning till milling in the SIRONA dental system with Blue cam intra oral scanner. The workshop was helpful to get oriented to the complete digital workflow of dental prosthesis fabrication and also gave an idea of virtual preparation evaluation. The participants were very enthusiastic and wanted more programs on digital dentistry to be conducted more frequently to enhance their knowledge and skills in the field of CAD CAM dentistry.

EDIFY- Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

The department of oral and maxillofacial surgery showcased it 6th edition of Edify on the 1st of August.The theme of the edify was activity based learning. Oral and maxillofacial surgery is a speciality in dentistry which requires extensive understanding of the anatomy and precise surgical skills to treat patients.Students find it difficult to understand certain treatment concepts as all they see in the textbooks are two-dimensional in presentation. We prepare study models which enable the students to learn the procedure by performing them on these models. We teach them concepts of cyst treatment which are multiple and require a certain level of understanding.Likewise, trans-alveolar extractions and fracture reduction and fixation procedures are also demonstrated on models for easy understanding. Dr.R.N.Balakrishna was also awarded the workaholic award by our Dr.Deepak Nallasamy, Director of Academics and our Dr.Sheeja Varghese, Dean, Saveetha Dental College.