Webinar: Moving Dental Public Health Policies Through Research

Learning is a continuous process, no matter the situation or crisis one is under; when the seeker is eager, the teacher is more than willing to impart the knowledge. Knowledge knows no borders, continents, boundaries, it just flows like a river and nourishes all it touches on its way. We the Department of Public Health Dentistry at Saveetha Dental College, SU along with the International affairs office organized an Webinar on “ Moving Dental Public Health through Research on 13th of may 2020. The Webinar was delivered by Dr. Waranuch Pitipat, faculty of dentistry from Khon Kaen university, Thailand. The webinar was attended by 6 post graduate students and 7 Faculties of the department of Public Health Dentistry, Saveetha University. The session was very informative and interactive. The progress in terms of policy and research related to it was discussed intensely. The current project undertaken by our post graduates were analyzed critically and suggestions were given. the speaker also highlighted on the current status in Thailand. The session was scheduled for one hour and the key points covered during the session was role of research and evidence based dentistry, evidence pyramid, systematic reviews by Cochrane, school oral health prevention and promotion programs, real time experience of public health policies in Thailand, their success stories, troubles and solutions.

Webinar: Diabetes and Periodontitis- unwinding the linking mechanisms.

The department of Periodontics of Saveetha dental college had organized a webinar on “Webinar on Diabetes and Periodontitis- unwinding the linking mechanisms on 25th June 2020.  The speaker Dr. Thomas Kocher currently heads the periodontics unit at the Dental School of Greifswald in north-eastern Germany and was also a part of the work group who framed the classification at the World Workshop for the Classification of Periodontal Diseases and Conditions in 2017. The webinar discussed the recent mechanisms and molecular pathway linking diabetes mellitus and periodontal disease. The webinar covered all the various therapeutic approaches in the prevention and management of periodontal disease. The webinar was followed by a short interactive question session on the topic.

PUBLISH and FLOURISH: Tips for Scientific Writing

The department of Oral Medicine and Radiology conducted a webinar on the PUBLISH and FLOURISH: Tips for Scientific Writing on 23RD and 24TH SEPTEMBER, 2020 from 10am to 12pm.

Writing a paper and getting it published in a reputed journal involves hard work and motivation. It adds a feather in the cap in career and brings recognition. It creates revolutionary changes in academics and research field which can uplift both theory and practical outlook.  It could lead to a discovery/invention subsequently. Publishing a paper is an important parameter and evidence of one’s awareness, knowledge and thought process on the subject and becomes a professional identity.

The webinar was a two day program having four esteemed guest speakers. On 23rd September, 2020 a lecture on case report/case series was conducted by Dr. M Arvind, Professor and Head of Academics, Department of Oral medicine and Radiology. The lecture was an informative one followed by an insightful lecture on Observational/ Diagnostic studies by Dr. M Subha, Reader, Department of Oral medicine and Radiology.

After the successful first day of webinar, on 24th September, 2020 (second day) a lecture was conducted on tips to publish Systematic Reviews by Dr. T. N Uma Maheswari, Professor and Head of Administration, Department of Oral medicine and Radiology followed by a lecture on Randomised Controlled Trial by Dr. D Sreedevi, Reader, Department of Oral medicine and Radiology.

At the end of both the sessions, a Question & Answer (Q & A) round had taken place which solved the doubts and queries of the participants by the esteemed speakers. The online webinar was attended by 84 delegates consisting of faculty, postgraduates and private practitioners and research scholars across the country.  

The webinar was a fruitful one as we received a blinded feedback and precious suggestions from all the participants which marked its success. The department wishes to conduct many more such online activities in the future for betterment of the entire dental family.

Art of Reporting on CBCT

The Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology conducted a webinar on the art of reporting of a CBCT scan on 30th September, 2020. The webinar focused on the reporting in Implantology and Endodontics. The webinar was had two resource persons. The implantology aspect was spoken by Dr. Sneha Satish, Senior Lecturer, Oral medicine and Radiology and the endodontics aspect was spoken by Dr. Jayanth kumar V, Reader, Oral medicine and Radiology. The two lectures was followed by Q& A session.

The webinar was attended by 83 delegates which 63 external delegates. Being an online webinar, we had registrations from across the country.

The implantology aspect of the webinar gave a step by step guidance on opening a scan volume, the methodology adopted for assessment of an implant and the guidelines for the placement of an implant. The live webinar had an interactive video on how the steps are executed in the scan.

The endodontics aspect of the webinar highlighted on the guidelines for ideal scenarios where CBCT scans are advised. There were case based discussion highlighting the usage of CBCT with typical case images being taken for discussion.

The question and answer session took up questions on the doubts of the participants. They had also raised queries concerning the ideal scenarios which require prescription of CBCT scans.

Overall the webinar was well received by the audience which was reflected in the blinded feedback collected from the participants at the end of the program. The department intends to conduct many such programs in the future using the online platform as it increases the reach of the program across the country.

East meets West Oral Pathology Session: Smokeless Tobaccos and Oral Lesions- India and US experience

Dr. Louis

Dr. Jerry Bouquot

Dr.Suzanne T Nethan

A webinar Titled “East meets West Oral Pathology Session: Smokeless Tobaccos and Oral Lesions - India and US experiences” was organised by the ECHO project on 9th July 2020. Project ECHO, short for Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes, is a telementoring program first developed in 2003 at the University of New Mexico as a way to extend and improve treatment options for patients in rural and medically underserved areas. In Project ECHO programs, specialists working at major healthcare “hubs” partner with rural providers and those working in underserved regions, offering mentoring, guidance and training using teleconferencing technology. The program now has 109 partners working in 21 countries to improve treatment for almost 60 conditions.

The speakers were Dr. Suzanne. T. Nethan, program manager (ECHO), National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, India and Dr. Jerry Boquot, professor Emeritus, UThealth school of dentistry at Houston represented USA. Dr. Jerry Bouquot earned his DDS and MSD degrees from the University of Minnesota, with postdoctoral fellowships to the Mayo Clinic and the Royal Dental College in Copenhagen, Denmark as the recipient of a Career Development Award from the American Cancer Society.

He holds the record as the youngest oral pathology chair in U.S. history and for more than 26 years was chair of two diagnostic science departments, one in West Virginia University and the other at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has received more than 50 honors and awards, including WVU’s highest awards for teaching and service to humanity, and its alumni association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He is now a retired adjunct professor of The University of Texas and West Virginia University, and remains the director of research for his private research center, the Maxillofacial Center for Education and Research.

Dr. Jerry Boquot having heard of the rare case collection in Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, invited Dr. Pratibha Ramani, Professor and Head, Department of Oral Pathology,  to showcase four rare cases associated with smokeless tobacco habit following the lecture. The lecture lasted for 2 hrs with poll questions in between and a brief question and answer session in the end.

Following which, Dr. Pratibha Ramani was invited along with the postgraduate residents to present the interesting case reports.  Following a brief introduction by Dr. Pratibha Ramani, postgraduate residents Dr. Suvarna, Dr. Reshma PK, Dr. Hemashree and Dr. Rahul Mohandas presented the cases. The case reports were much appreciated by all the participants. A total of 190 participants attended the webinar from throughout the world. 

Webinar: Some Insights of CAD/CAM Ceramics

The Department of Prosthodontics organised a Webinar on “Some Insights of CAD/CAM Ceramics ”by Dr. James Tsoi PHD, MRSC, MBCS, Assistant Professor, Dental Materials, Faculty of dentistry, University of Hongkong On 13th May, 2020 which was attended by Faculty and Postgraduates of Prosthodontics Department. It was a great session held on 19th may at 02:00 - 03:00 PM, a one hour webinar by Dr. James Tsoi who gave a considerable insights about Ceramics, material properties its research significance, testing methods, extensive expalnation and invitro studies done by the presenter himself. The programme was great and the students attended the webinar understood the extensive research possibilities in the field of ceramics and the technology used for the purpose of these studies which was implemented the the presenter himself during the presentation. The research studies were well explained and furnished in crisp details during the presentation. We had a great opportunity to learn from the eminent speaker Dr. James Tsoi.

Webinar : Fixed or removable interfaces by Dr. John Radford

The Department of Prosthodontics organised a Webinar on “Prosthodontics: Fixed or removable interfaces”by Dr. John Radford, Clinical Senior Lecturer, Department of prosthodontics, School of Dentistry, University of Dundee, UK. On 19 th May, 2020 which was attended by Faculty and Postgraduates of Prosthodontics Department. It was a great session held on 19th may at 01:00 - 02:00 PM, a one hour webinar by Dr. Johnford who gave comprehensive presentation on the principles of Fixed prosthodontics, clincial perspectives, full mouth rehabilitation and digital work flow. The programme was

great and the students attended were able to know the clinical procedures employed by the presenter and it was a great opportunity to learn from the eminent speaker.

Webinar: Role of pathology in the management of OPMD and oral cancer by Dr. WM Tilakaratne

A webinar on the Title “Role of pathology in the management of OPMD and oral cancer” was organised by the Department of oral pathology and microbiology, Saveetha Dental College on 17th May 2020. The guest speaker was Dr. WM Tilakaratne, a renowned oral pathologists who is currently the Head - Department of Oral and maxillofacial - clinical sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Malaya, Malaysia.

 The webinar began with a brief introduction of the speaker by Dr. Pratibha Ramani, Head of the Department, Department of oral pathology, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital. The speaker Dr. WM Tilakaratne then gave deep insights on OSCC and OPMD and the role of pathologist in its management. The lecture catered to both the students and practising pathologists. The lecture lasted for 1 hr 30 mins with a brief question and answer session in the end.

 The webinar was attended by 474 participants from throughout the country and beyond. There were representatives from Nepal, Srilanka, Malaysia, Singapore, United states and London. The webinar also included participation from various other disciplines of dentistry including faculty from Department of Oral medicine and oral surgery. The lecture was much appreciated by all the participants, which left them longing for more such webinar’s in the near future.

Webinar: TO MARPE OR NOT – AN INTERACTIVE SESSION

The COVID – 19 lockdown period has been an educating experience for all. In line with the spirit of learning and growing, the department of Orthodontics conducted a webinar session on 14th May featuring an eminent speaker, Dr Jorge Faber, for the benefit of postgraduates and faculty. Dr Faber is a Professor of Evidence Based Dentistry and Orthodontics at the Post-Graduate Program of the University of Brasilia Dental School. He uses his editorial background to stimulate keen analysis of the scientific literature, since he has served for 11 years as editorin-chief of the Journal of the World Federation of Orthodontists and the Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics. He holds a PhD degree on Biology-Morphology, a Master’s degree in  Orthodontics and is a Diplomate of the Brazilian Board of Orthodontics. Dr. Faber has lectured extensively in many countries and has published over 100 articles in scientific journals. He also maintains a private practice in Brasilia, Brazil. The agenda for discussion was MARPE – Mini Implant Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion, a procedure that is gaining rapid preference among young Orthodontists. Like many other innovations and clinical techniques, MARPE too comes with its shares of disputable evidence. Dr Faber, an ardent researcher and practitioner of the technique, shed light on the basics, nuances, and clinical relevance of MAPRE in general with specific attention laid on the use of the same in children with sleep-disordered breathing. He provided our students with evidence in support of MARPE; with additionally showcasing cases that were personally treated by him. A newer perspective of patient selection, clinical acumen and handling of the appliances along with an overview of statistics in research were also discussed. The webinar drew to a close with an interactive segment of Q&A wherein the participants interacted with Dr Faber and clarified their queries regarding the same. The webinar was well received by all participants with Dr Faber appreciating the involvement of all participants and the efforts made by the institution.

Webinar on “Fluorescence enhanced theragnosis in peri implant disease”

The Department of Periodontics of Saveetha dental college had organised a webinar on “Fluorescence enhanced theragnosis in periimplant disease” on 15th may 2020. The speaker for the webinar was Dr. Liviv Steier, Associate professor of Department of Restorative dentistry from the University of Pennsylvania, USA. The webinar was an eye opener on the role of Fluorescence enhanced diagnostic methods for peri- implantitis. The webinar covered all the aspects of periimplantitis beginning from  the etiology to the various therapeutic approaches in the prevention and management of periimplant disease. The webinar was followed by a short interactive question session which gave clarity on the newer concepts and had inculcated newer ideas in the young research minds of many participants.

Webinar: Mini Marthon of Dental Anatomy by Dr Mahmoud Bakr

A webinar on Mini Marthon of Dental Anatomy by Dr Mahmoud Bakr MDS., PhD, Director of Clinical Education (Dentistry), Grifith University, Australia was organised by Department of Anatomy, coordinating with Dr Lakshmi, Associate dean of International affairs on 13.05.2020 (Tuesday) at 8.30 am for I BDS students. The webinar was organised using Zoom meeting.

At 8.30 am Mr Yuvaraj Babu K, Assistant professor Department of Anatomy introduced the speaker to the students, followed by very exclusive talk about the dental anatomy and tooth morphology of permanent teeth by Dr. Mahmoud Bakr. The speaker discussed and briefed about the vast topic of morphology of the various permanent teeth using excellent pictures in his power point presentation within the short span of time in the webinar. The sessions were well received and appreciated by the participants. The session had around 100 delegates.

At the end of the session, topic was open for discussion where the students    interacted with Dr Mahmoud Bakr about their doubts in tooth morphology. Following it Mr Yuvaraj Babu thanked the speaker for giving a wonderful webinar on morphology of permanent teeth for the students.

Webinar : Single visit Endodontics - A Crtitical Concept during the COVID -19 Pandemic

The webinar was conducted on 13/05/2020 by Dr.Justin Kolnick on the topic “Single visit Endodontics - A Crtitical Concept during the COVID -19 Pandemic”.Specially conducted for Saveetha Dental college with a total of 30 Participants.Dr.Justin is specialised in laser Endodontics. A through insight was given on how to relieve a patient of pain in cases with abscess without the use of handpiece , using lasers. More emphasis was made on procedures that can be done without aerosol. The do’s and dont’s in treating a patient for root canal treatment during this pandemic was the main topic of concern. Endodontists are most prone to aerosol in dental procedures. The use of Rubber dam isolation was emphasised there by reducing the exposure to aerosol markedly. This webinar was the need of the hour as endodontists once we get back to practice should know what we are up against and what precautions are required not only to prevent ourselves from exposure to COVID -19 but also are near and dear ones.

Webinar: Bone Augmentation in the Esthetic Zone - Dr Bach Le

Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery is delighted to share the news that, our department conducted a webinar in “Bone Augmentation in the Esthetic Zone” on 8th of May 2020. Webinar was hosted by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Saveetha Dental College and lecture was given by Dr Bach Le DDS., MD., FICD, FACD.

Dr. Bach Le is an experienced and pronounced surgeon who has done extensive clinical and research work in Bone augmentation procedures. He has numerous publications based on bone augmentation techniques which are globally accepted clinical protocols. Dr Bach Le is also a thorough academician, working as a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of South California, USA.

During the two hour webinar Dr Bach Le, displayed his clinical experience in bone augmentation in the esthetic areas through various case reports with a long term follow up. This helped the students immensely in understanding the depth of basics to be followed while placing implants in the anterior teeth region and also the nuances of achieving the best possible result.

Students were exited to see how Dr. Bach Le was able to perform the modifications of conventional techniques he had explaind in his publications, that can be followed in day today clinical practise to achieve more controlled and precise clinical outcomes. Modification in anterior esthetic zone incisions and depictions of same, using clinical photographs supported by mounting literature evidence was highly appreciated by participants.

Webinar was huge success, in terns of number and satisfaction of participants. On the whole close to 70 participants across the nation including the post graduates and faculties from Saveetha Dental College were actively involved in the session. Following the lecture, students and faculties, were

allowed to express their doubts and Dr Bach Le patiently clarified all their doubts. Participants expressed their deepest gratitude for his patience and enthusiasm to clear their grey areas.

Participants expressed their whole hearted appreciation to the team for arranging an extremely informative webinar from a resourceful academician and clinician, residing on the other side of the globe, especially during these difficult times, midst of Covid -19 pandemic.

Guest Lecture: Contacts and Contours

Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics conducted a guest lecture on “Contacts and Contours” on 14.03.2020 presented by Dr. B.Anuradha, currently working as a Reader in Sri Balaji Dental college and hospital. The placement of the restoration should be in harmony with the teeth’s anatomy. Preoperative assessment of contacts and contours of the teeth needs a lot of understanding and skill training. The guest lecture was designed for the second year undergraduate students of Saveetha Dental College. It is very important for every student to be aware of the physiology of contacts and contours of the tooth while planning restoration The lecture focused on how to create proper contact and contour while doing the restoration. The lecture emphasised on various techniques of tooth separation, methods of placing matrix bands, retainers and wedges. The lecture also highlighted on the recent advances in the field of contacts and contours. 

SPARC

SPARC 2020, 5 th Saveetha’s Pedodontic Advanced Revision Course conducted by the Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry at Saveetha Dental college on 12th and 13th of March 2020. The program started with a welcome note by Dr. EMG Subramanian, Professor and Head, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals. 40 Post graduate participants from different dental colleges across India attended the program. The revision course was structured with eight important topics in the field of pediatric dentistry for two days. The Speakers were invited from various dental colleges in India. On the first day, Dr. Tharain , Professor and Head of Anoor Dental College, Kerala delivered a lecture on Space management in Pediatric Dentistry. Dr. Sharath Asokan , Professor and Head of KSR Dental College, Thiruchengode delivered a lecture on Child Psychology and Behaviour Management. The last lecture was delivered by Dr. RekhaLakshmi on Pediatric Endodontics. On the second day, the lecture was started by Dr. Velmurugan on Traumatic Injuries followed by Dr. Jeeva on Crowns in pediatric Dentistry and Dr. Mohammed Farzan on Oral habits. For the first time, an interactive section on how to answer Viva questions during examination was discussed by Dr. Deepa. The program ended with a thank you note by Dr. Deepa, Professor and Head, Department of Pediatric and Preventive Dentistry, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals for making this 5th SPARC a grand success. A positive response was given by all the participants with respect to the content of the presentation and the hospitality provided by the organizing Team.

Post and Core - Hands on Work Shop

“Post and Core” conducted on 8th March 2020. It was aone-day program which includes lecture on various post endodontics restoration materials and techniques. Demonstration on post and core build up was done followed by hands-on workshop on Metal Post and Fiber Reinforced composite post on extracted anterior and posterior teeth. Course was limited only for 10 participants in order to provide better care and attention. Live patient demo was showed followed by Models. Each participant had performed both metal and FRC post on anterior and posterior teeth. Lecture and hands-on were more interactive, all of them showed more interest in gaining knowledge.Step by step clinical procedures were shown and evaluated each and every participant by one on one interaction.

Navigating Adhesion Testing

White lab – Saveetha’s Exclusive Material Research Centre organised a CDE program titled Navigating Adhesion Testing – Methods and Recommendations on 05.03.2020. The Speaker of the day was Dr. Deepak Mehta MDS, PhD, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Dental Materials, Yenepoya Dental College and Hospital, Mangalore. Participants included around 120 delegates from various colleges over Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh. The program highlighted on the current scenario of adhesive dentistry and described in detail the various testing methods and sample preparation guidelines in adhesive dentistry. The lecture was followed by live demo by Dr. Deepak Mehta which was beneficial for the participants.

Dentin Bonding Agents – An Update

White Lab – Saveetha’s Exclusive Material Research Centre organized a guest lecture on “Dentin Bonding Agents – An Update” on 29.02.2020. The lecture was given by DR. KAVITHA SANJEEV, Prof. Dept. of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, SRM Dental college Ramapuram. She enlightened the students on the current trends on bonding agents and the scope of research in that field as there are lot of advances in the field of Adhesion Dentistry. The audience included the undergraduate students who were highly benefitted from the lecture. She enriched the students with her knowledge which will help them to plan research projects on adhesion dentistry in future.

Stem Cell Applications in Regenerative Medicine

Department of Biochemistry conducted CDE programme entitled “Stem Cell Applications in Regenerative Medicine” delivered by Dr. P. Kanagaraj, Assistant professor, Department of Biotechnology, SRM Institute of Science and Technology on Feb 8th 2020. 96 under graduates students benefitted from  the programme. The speaker enlightened the audience with the basics of Stems cells, stem cell types  and clinical applications for the treatment of various diseases including oral diseases. He described about stem cells and how they have a capacity for self-renewal and capability of proliferation and differentiation to various cell lineages. He also discussed about the significance of  regenerative medicine to form new functional tissue to replace lost or defective ones which may help to treat   several chronic diseases. He correlated the importance of the dental pulp stem cells for the treatment of various diseases and its clinical importance.  Under  graduate students were able to interact with the speaker by raising questions/clarifications about how the dental pulp stem cells could be therapeutic options for oral diseases and clinical evidence for the same. The  talk was very enriching to the mind, novel and informative to the students as well as to the faculty members.

Neurodegeneration and inflammation

Department of Biochemistry organised a CDE  entitled “Neuro degeneration and inflammation”  on 1st February 2020, at Decennial hall. Dr. Palanivel Ganesan, Department of Integrated Biosciences - Biomedical Chemistry, Konkuk University, Korea delivered lecture on "Inflammation in Neuro degeneration". In his lecture, he discussed about the  applications of Nutraceuticals and Herbal medicines in healing Neuro degenerative disorders. He motivated students to pursue  research and explore the therapeutic applications  of Indian herbal medicine.  He also focussed on the current research in Nutraceutical product development. He enthusiastically visited the research facility of our college.  Undergraduate Students attended the  lecture with an interactive session.