Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development
  • Year: 2019
  • Volume: 10
  • Issue: 6

Reaching the Unreached-A Retrospection of the Nine Year long Oral Rehabilitative Program in the Tribal Hamlets of Kerala

  • Author:
  • Mathew Anil1,, Janakiram Chandrashekar2, Sanjeevan Vinita2, Keepanaserril Arun3, Joseph Joe4, Rajan Saranya Raj5, Sreeprabha G Mohan5
  • Total Page Count: 4
  • Page Number: 81 to 84

1MDS, Department of Prosthodontics and Implantology, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala

2Public Health Dentistry, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala

3Clinical informatics, Information Management and Knowledge translation, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala

4Public Health Dentistry, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala

5Department of Prosthodontics and Implantology, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala

*Corresponding Author: Dr. Anil Mathew, Dept. of Prosthodontics and Implantology, Amrita School of Dentistry, Ponekkara, Kochi, Kerala-682014, Phone: 0484-2801234 Email: anilmathew@aims.amrita.edu

Online published on 11 July, 2019.

Abstract

Following is a description of an oral rehabilitative program-Amrithasmitham which has aimed at improving the poor quality of life experienced as a result of edentulousness among the indigenous populations of Kerala. It has been running for nine years in the tribal belts of Wayanad, Kerala since 2008. It thrives on the sense of social responsibility and accountability of the medical profession. This paper highlights the lessons learnt and aims to provide a model which may be replicated in unreachable locations or in geographically reachable yet physically challenged geriatric populations.

Keywords

Oral rehabilitative program, tribal populations, community health