UK university students to give dental health help to India's poor

LONDON: A team of 10 students from a British university will visit India to provide medical and dental aid to the underprivileged people with limited access to basic healthcare facilities.

Led by Upen Patel and Ketan Patel, the dental students from the University of Birmingham, volunteering with the charity Satya Samaj UK, will arrive in Rishikesh for a four-day trip on Saturday.

They will provide medical and dental aid to the poor people of Rishikesh and the surrounding areas in the Himalayan region.

"The team will arrive in Rishikesh tomorrow and the volunteer activity camp takes places 9 am to 5 pm each day from Monday 25th to Friday 29th March," International Communications Manager, University of Birmingham Tony Moran told PTI.

The group plans to work with local doctors and dentists to look after more than 500 adults and children at a special five-day dental, diabetes and asthma health camp, the university said in a statement on Thursday.

"Maintaining good oral care is essential for everyone and it is unacceptable that there are people in the world who do not have access to the basic means of keeping their mouth healthy by reducing the risk of dental decay and gum disease," said Upen, Clinical Lecturer at the University of Birmingham.

"Students 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," he said.

The dental volunteers will provide an oral health check and show each patient how to clean their teeth and gums effectively to prevent disease.

"This trip is a really amazing opportunity to see an area of the world that I wouldn't normally get a chance to see and a chance to help a large group of people who otherwise wouldn't get access to such vital care. I think we are really fortunate in the UK to have the services we do," said Louise Davis, a fourth-year dental student at the varsity.

Davis said the group will see over 100 patients a day, screen people for dental diseases, oral cancers, asthma, diabetes and give oral hygiene advice and donations.

"I hope the team will leave a lasting positive impression on the region of Rishikesh and the work we do over there will continue to benefit the community in the future," the student said.

In addition to oral health checks, the camp will also host a diabetes and asthma screening facility to aid diagnosis and provide lifestyle advice to help control these conditions and improve the quality of these people's lives.

Satya Samaj UK has been providing health camps for the past 15 years.