KARACHI: Oral health awareness took centre stage at Ziauddin College of Dentistry as undergraduate dental students used the power of storytelling and filmmaking to educate audiences about oral diseases, prevention and healthy habits through the "A Happy Mouth, A Happy Life" Short Film Competition 2026.
Organised by the Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, the competition provided students of BDS Batch 16 with a creative platform to communicate important oral health messages through short, evidence-based films inspired by the World Health Organization's Health for All Film Festival.
The initiative was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Sidra Mohiuddin, Head of the Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry, with support from Assistant Professor Dr. Maryam Panhwar and lecturers Dr. Yousra Altaf and Dr. Ammarah Muhammad Nauman.
The competition encouraged students to explore various oral health conditions and highlight the importance of prevention, early diagnosis and positive oral hygiene practices through engaging visual narratives designed to educate and inspire audiences.
Six groups comprising second-year BDS students participated in the event. Each team produced a short film focusing on a different oral disease and concluded with a key public health message promoting oral health awareness and preventive dental care.
A distinguished panel of judges evaluated the entries based on creativity, scientific accuracy, storytelling and public health impact.
The judging panel included Prof. Dr. Ambrina Qureshi, Chairperson of the Department of Community Dentistry at Dow University of Health Sciences and a leading expert in public health dentistry, and Syed Aashan Abbas, an accomplished television director and producer with more than two decades of experience in Pakistan's media industry.
According to the organisers, the competition was closely contested, with only three marks separating the top two teams.
The first position was awarded to the team behind "Fame and Fluorosis," a short film focusing on dental fluorosis and its impact on oral health. The winning team comprised Laiba Javed, Eeshal Ahsan, Ayma Al-Noor, Anushay Tariq, Rameen Ali, Ashna Alam, Ria Kumari and Areeba Masood.
The second position went to the creators of "Aik Muskurahat, Doosra Mauqa," a film highlighting periodontitis and the importance of timely intervention and oral healthcare. The team included Urooj Khalil, Mahnoor Saleem, Syeda Eshmal, Emaan Imran, Asad Ali, Dua Fatima, Rabia Imran and Zaynah Jilani.
The Department of Community and Preventive Dentistry congratulated all participants from BDS Batch 16 for their enthusiasm, creativity and commitment to promoting oral health awareness through innovative educational approaches.
Special recognition was also extended to Dr. Yousra Altaf and Dr. Ammarah Muhammad Nauman for their mentorship and support in organising the initiative.
The competition highlighted the growing role of creative communication strategies in dental education and reinforced the importance of engaging future dentists in community-oriented oral health promotion. By combining scientific knowledge with storytelling, the initiative demonstrated how dental students can become effective advocates for preventive oral healthcare and public health education.
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