Insignia 2019

Ladies in red and men in black suits, was a sight to behold on the eve of 9th November 2019 at Saveetha Dental college “INSIGNIA 2019”. Insignia is an annual event organised at Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai which rewards the efforts of students and staffs from the dental college. The event was presided by DrN.M.Veeraiyan. The Chief guests were Dr. Janak Raj Sabharwal, Dr Vijay Sankar, DrVasanth Kumar, Dr.K.Hisamuddin Papa, DrD. Rajagovindan, Dr. Rosy Vennila and Dr.Arumalla Sridhar Reddy.

The evening began with an Inaugural dance which was followed by the award ceremony. About 250 awards were given to BDS Students,Dental technicians, Postgraduates, Teaching and Non teaching staffs based on various criteria’s. The students also showed their talent by performing cultural events with thundering performances from both undergraduate and postgraduate students.

The chief guest for first year BDS awardswas Dr.D.Rajagovindan. The awards were given for 5 toppers from Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Dental Anatomy, Fundamentals of Dentistry, and Behavioral Science. Awards for overall toper and the student with maximum number of publication were also given.Thariny.E, TahamaraiSelvi,V.T, Sarojini. K, Anu Ishawarya.J and Deepti Sogasu bagged awards in almost all the categories. Blessy Pushparathma. S was given the research topper award for 3 publications in Scopus indexed journals.

DR Rosy Vennila awarded the II BDS students for their acheivements in 8 academic subjects and research publications. The overall toppers were VaishnaviDevi.B, Ramya.G, Akshaya. K, ShamaaAnjum. And ThaslimaNandhini .Also received the research topper award with 5 publications in indexed journals.

The third year BDS students collected their awards from Dr Vijay Sankar.The students were awarded for the subjects General Medicine, General Surgery, Oral Pathology and additional subjects including Medical Emergencies, Imageology and Practice Management. The overall toppers were Meghana Reddy Jangam Reddy, GayathriKarthikeyan, KeerthigaNagarajan, KeshaavKrishnaa.P and Pranathi.T. The third years also received clinical awards for their achievements in clinical aspect as well; the overall clinical topper was Keshaav Krishnaa.P and Keerthiga Nagarajan recieved the award for Research.

Dr.Arumalla Sridhar Reddy awarded the Final BDS students for their performance in 10 academic subjects, clinicals and research publications. The overall toppers were Sahil Choudhari, Geethika. B, Subashri.A, Jembulingam.S and Vaishali. S. The clinical topper for the fourth years was received by Subasri.A and the research topper was Sarvesh Kumar with 4 publications in Scopus indexed journals.

The hardwork of the Interns was recognised with the clinical award for the maximum number of procedures. It was handed over Dr.K.Hisamuddin Papa. Shamit Thaper for Conservative dentistry, Abijeth.B for Oral medicine and Sharanya. H for Oral surgery, Khushali K Shah for Public Health Dentistry and Sri VasaaviKadiyala forPeriodontic and Prosthodontics, Nivetha Srinivasan for Orthodontics and Sahana.R.Yfor Pedodontics. The best intern of the year award was given toNandhakumar.E. The research Topper award was given to Sahana. K with 6 publications.

The dental technicians were awarded for their excellence in academics and clinical work. The highest procedure count was received by SaiRam (1st year),Naresh (2nd year) and Balaji (3rd year). For acedamic excellence Sheik Abdullah ,Dhanalakshmi and Ajithbagged the awards.

Dr. Janak Raj Sabharwal, also handed over the awards to the postgraduates basedon academics and the skillful clinical workfor the year 2018-2019 in their representative departments. Shivanagini. Y won the best researcher award for 4 publications and Hema Shree. K received the award for her publication with highest impact factor among the postgraduates.The best outgoing postgraduate was Dr. Hannah. R from the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology.

DrVasanth Kumar handed over the prizes to the esteemed faculty for their untiring drive towards teaching. DrRajeshkumarrecived the most punctual and workaholic award. Research awards were also given to the faculty.

Clinic 3 won the best clinic award and best cleanliness award .The Departments with the highest academic scores were Prosthodontics and Dental Anatomy. The departments with highest Batch average Prosthodontics and General Pathology. The Academic award for highest number of distinctions was bagged by the Department of General Pathology .Among the faculty, Dr.VishnuPriya was awarded the Best Faculty with the highest CAFE Score.  The Best Research Department was won by Biochemistry. The Overall Best department award was won by the Departments of Biochemistry and Prosthodontics.

Diwali Celebrations

The Diya festival was well celebrated by the faculty of Saveetha Dental College. The management takes good care of their employee that they distribute crackers and sweets every year. This year too it was well organised by giving double the amount of sweets. This also is an example on how they emphasise and reemphasise on culture and tradition.

Pre conference workshop -FHNO: Microvascular Live Surgery

Saveetha Oral Cancer Institute conducted a preconference workshop on Oct 10, 2019 prior to the FHNO annual meet which was to be held on Oct 11-13, 2019.
The resection of the primary tumor with infratemporal fossa clearance was demonstrated by Dr. Moni Kuriakose, and the chimeric anterolateral thigh flap harvest and microvascular reconstruction was demonstrated by Dr. Antony Arvind.
The surgial procedure was relayed live from the OT to the Decennial hall participants. Surgeons, post graduates, and consultants from all over India were part of the workshop.
The participants directly interacted with the surgeons in the OT providing a rich learning experience for the attendees.

Diabetes Mellitus : The current scenario

Department of Biochemistry has organised a CDE programme on 19.10.19, at the Decennial Hall, Saveetha Dental College. Dr Dhananjayan , Consultant and Head, Department of Biochemistry, Apollo Super Speciality Hospitals, Chennai,was invited to deliver guest lecture on " Diabetes Mellitus : The current scenario". Students understood the role of life style modification in non communicable diseases.

Isolation and characterization of stem cells from dental pulp

The hands on workshop on “Isolation and characterization of stem cells from dental pulp” was organized exclusively for post graduate students of the department of Endodontics, Saveetha Dental College. The workshop started with a guest lecture on “Mesenchymal Stem cells and its applications” delivered by Dr. D. Ezhilarasan, Scientist, BRULAC. The lecture focused mainly on the sources of MSC, the procedure for culturing and its major applications in the field of medicine and dentistry. The hands-on training was organized by Dr. A. Paramasivam, who demonstrated the methods for processing dental pulp so as to obtain stem cells. The session was followed by isolation of mRNA from stem cells, conversion into cDNA and identification of stem cell markers using polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The gel electrophoretogram was obtained and the interpretation of results was taught to the students. The students were interactive and keen in doing the procedures themselves. The programme was a grand success. We would like to thank Dr. Niveditha, Professor, Department of Endodontics for providing the opportunity to conduct the workshop. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Dr, A, Padmaraj, Veterinarian, for his constant support and encouragement.

Occlusal Considerations in Crowns

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “Occlusal Considerations in Crowns” on 17.10.19 presented by Dr. T. T. Saravanan, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education & Research. The lecture focused on creating awareness and help appreciate the importance of occlusion. The occlusion of teeth is frequently overlooked or taken for granted in providing restorative dental treatments. This is due to the fact that symptoms of occlusal disease are often hidden from dentists not trained to recognize them or to appreciate their significance. The lecture highlighted the techniques and philosophies of occlusion and insisted that long-term success of restorations are dependent on the maintenance of this occlusal harmony. 

Research Orientation Program for Undergraduates

The guest lecture series this week was organised by the Department of Oral Pathology on 12.10.2019. The lecture was on Research opportunities in the international arena, delivered by Dr.Nithya.J, Research Associate in the Department of Oral Rehabilitation from Prince Philip Dental College, Hong Kong University. She has done her under graduation and post graduation from Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai. She has 64 national and internatinal publications to her credit in high impact factor journals like Sceintific reports, Nature and European Journal of Dental Education. She has immense experience in research and article writing, hence her lecture highlighted on the importance of research and publications in the undergraduate curriculum. The students were highly receptive and applauded the lecture as it was very lively and interactive.

An Insight into All Ceramics

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “An Insight into All Ceramics’ on 4.10.19 at Saveetha Dental College presented by Dr. S. Lakshmi, Professor, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College, Chennai. The lecture enlightened the post graduate students on various all ceramic restorative materials. The choice of the restoration based on occlusal considerations, and aesthetic considerations were discussed. The concept of luting, the clinical protocol, long term follow up with evidence was well presented. Many interesting case reports were also presented during the lecture.

Ayudha Pooja :

On the 9th day (Navami day), Saraswati puja is performed when special prayers are offered to goddess Saraswati - the divine source of wisdom and enlightenment. Books and musical instruments are placed in the puja pedestal and worshipped. Also, tools are placed for the Ayudh puja. Even vehicles are washed and decorated, and puja performed for them on this occasion. As part of the Golu festival, Saraswati puja is performed as Ayudh puja. Our institution abides to the culture and for the betterment of the students and the organisation the Pooja was performed in Saveetha Dental College. The occasion was graced by Honourable Founder, Chancellor Dr.N.M Veeraiyan along with all other staffs and students of the institution.

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.