Luck smiles on children in Virudhunagar, Tamil Nadu through District Dental Initiative

Virudhunagar: To treat malocclusion (misalignment of teeth) in school children, the Virudhunagar district administration flagged off ‘Malarum Punnagai Thittam’ under which students requiring braces were identified and brought under treatment. .

According to Dr M Kaviradha, orthodontist, Primary Health Center in Kannisseripudhur, misalignment of teeth causes many problems, including difficulty in chewing food. “Students with jaw irregularities can be treated for both teeth misalignment and jaw growth modulation by simply using braces in their growing age,” the doctor said. However, the treatment is not covered by government schemes, nor are the necessary equipment available in government hospitals in the district.

In this backdrop, Dr R Gilbert Thangaraj, medical officer of the training team, said the initiative was started during a review meeting held last year. The initiative was taken forward after subsequent meetings with the health department and the district administration. The doctor said, initially an intensive screening was conducted by Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) to identify malnutrition among students from middle school to high school (class five to class 10).

Later an MoU was signed with Nala Dental Hospital, Madurai to provide treatment to the students at concessional rates. The hospital then organized medical camps and selected 235 students who needed braces.