A TEAM of dental students from the UK will move to northern India to deliver essential health services to the people with limited access to basic healthcare facilities.
Led by Dr Upen Patel and Dr Ketan Patel, 10 dental students from the School of Dentistry at Birmingham are volunteering with the charity Satya Samaj UK, led by Vinod Lodhia.
The dental students aim to provide medical and dental aid to the underprivileged people in Rishikesh of Uttarakhand state and Himalayan region of India.
The group plans to work with local doctors and dentists to look after over 500 adults and children at a special five-day dental, diabetes and asthma health camp.
Dr Upen Patel, clinical lecturer at the University of Birmingham said: “Students from the University of Birmingham are looking forward to taking part in the health camp and helping the underprivileged people of Rishikesh and the surrounding Himalayan area to stay as healthy as possible.”
Louise Davis, a dental student at Birmingham, said: “We will be seeing over 100 patients a day and screening for dental disease, oral cancers, asthma and diabetes as well as giving oral hygiene advice and distributing donations…”
The dental volunteers will provide an oral health check and show each patient how to clean their teeth and gums effectively to prevent disease.
