ISLAMABAD: For children in school communities, early access to dental screening and practical guidance on oral hygiene can help identify dental problems and build habits that protect oral health. Taking this approach into a local school setting, Shifa College of Dentistry organised a community dental camp at House of Light School in Pind Bhagwal Village, Islamabad, providing oral healthcare services to approximately 350 schoolchildren.
Led by Prof. Dr Shujaat Hasan Idris, the initiative was organised by the college’s Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry as part of its community outreach programme and educational activities for second-year Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) students.
The camp brought together 46 BDS students, seven faculty members and six staff members, combining preventive education and clinical services with practical training for future dental professionals.
Screening and prevention at the heart of the outreach
The programme focused on assessing children's oral health, identifying dental caries and promoting preventive practices that can be incorporated into everyday routines.
Students conducted oral health screenings and assessed dental caries experience using the Decayed, Missing and Filled Teeth index (DMFT/dmft), a standard measure used to record caries experience in permanent and primary teeth, respectively.
The assessment gave students an opportunity to apply clinical knowledge in a community setting while gaining experience in identifying oral health needs among schoolchildren.
Oral health education formed another central component of the camp. Students delivered awareness sessions and demonstrated proper toothbrushing techniques, helping children understand the importance of regular brushing and maintaining good oral hygiene.
To support these lessons beyond the camp itself, oral hygiene kits provided by Colgate were distributed among the children. The supplies were intended to encourage the adoption of appropriate oral hygiene practices and reinforce the preventive messages delivered during the programme.
Clinical care extends beyond awareness
Alongside screening and education, the dental team provided treatment to children who required clinical intervention.
Approximately 30 Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) procedures were performed, using a minimally invasive approach to manage dental caries. The camp also included 15 simple dental extractions for children requiring removal of affected teeth.
Six children were referred for further dental evaluation and management according to their clinical needs, allowing cases requiring additional assessment or care to be directed for follow-up.
The combination of screening, preventive education, treatment and referral gave the programme a broader role than oral health awareness alone. It offered children an opportunity to receive initial dental assessment and selected treatments at school, while helping identify those who needed further attention.
The reported figures reflect the services delivered during the camp; no additional information was provided on the children's overall caries prevalence, treatment outcomes or subsequent follow-up.
Community dentistry brings classroom learning into practice
For the participating second-year BDS students, the outreach programme provided practical exposure to the challenges and responsibilities of community-based oral healthcare.
Working in a school environment allowed students to apply their academic learning to oral health assessment, caries recording, preventive counselling and patient care. The experience also offered opportunities to develop communication skills and engage with children in an educational setting.
Community and preventive dentistry places emphasis not only on treating existing dental problems but also on understanding oral health needs, promoting healthy behaviours and identifying opportunities for earlier intervention.
School-based programmes can provide a practical setting for these activities because they bring screening and education directly to children. However, sustained improvements in oral health also depend on consistent daily hygiene practices, access to routine dental care and appropriate follow-up when treatment is needed.
For dental students, such initiatives can help connect clinical knowledge with the wider public health responsibilities of the profession, including communicating preventive advice in ways that children can understand and put into practice.
Strengthening the link between dental education and community needs
Through the Pind Bhagwal outreach, Shifa College of Dentistry combined student training with the delivery of preventive and clinical dental services to a school community.
The initiative highlighted the role dental institutions can play in extending oral health education beyond their campuses, providing initial care in community settings and helping future practitioners understand the importance of prevention alongside treatment.
It also demonstrated the value of collaboration between educational institutions, schools and community partners in creating opportunities for oral health screening and awareness among children.
Led by Prof. Dr Shujaat Hasan Idris, the Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry's programme brought together student participation, faculty supervision, oral hygiene education and selected clinical procedures in a single outreach activity.
While a one-day camp cannot replace continuing dental care, initiatives of this kind can help introduce children to preventive oral healthcare, identify needs that warrant further attention and give dental students meaningful experience in serving communities.
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