Pediatric & Preventive Dentistry
Pedodontics (Pediatric Dentistry) is an age defined specialty that provides Primary and Comprehensive, Preventive and Therapeutic oral health care for infant and children through adolescence, including those with special health care needs. 
Department of Pediatric& Preventive Dentistry at the St. Joseph Dental College offers Graduate as well as Post Graduate (Residence) Programmes leading to Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) and Master of Dental Surgery (MDS) respectively, awarded by the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, Vijayawada. These courses are approved and accredited by DCI.
Scope of Pediatric Dentistry in India
About 40% of our growing population is children and vast majority of their dental health care needs are unattended. Various reasons attributed to this include.
- Increased Incidence of Dental Caries due to change in diet & lifestyle
- Apathy of general dental practitioners in treating children
- Shortage of qualified pediatric dentists, most of them are urban centric
The prospects fro an aspiring pediatric dentist are excellent both in academics and clinical practice.
Aims & Objectives of the Department
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to
- Promote physical, mental , psychological and dental health of the child
- Note any aberrant alternation in development of child
- Improve the dental health in accord with the general health
- Encourage the dental profession at all levels to ensure that the younger generation in future will require less dental treatment
- Maintain function, esthetics and arch integrity of the primary dentition
- Treatment and prevention of dental caries in primary and young permanent teeth
- Child dental health care education to parents
- Identify and differentiate between normal and abnormal somatic dento-facial and psychological growth and development
- Understand child behavior and anxiety and be able to communicate and manage children showing apprehension and moderately disruptive behavior using behavioral and pharmacotherapeutic techniques.
- Development an accurate database from child and parent information and formulate an accurate diagnosis
- Diagnose and plan appropriate therapy for common oral health problem and children.
- Provides treatment for mental, physical and emotionally handicapped children and also for the medically compromised patients
- Recognize and manage medical emergencies commonly encountered in children and adolescents undergoing treatment.
- Develop a preventive program for an individual patient.
- Make appropriate referrals.
We not only believe in quality dental education &service but also in behavior shaping the child and instilling positive attitude towards dentistry and society.
Activity of the Department
The Department of Pediatric & Preventive Dentistry St. Joseph Dental College has framed guidelines for treating children keeping the above requirements into consideration. The institution has many auxiliary institutes associated with it that are taking care of medically compromised. HIV affected orphans and mentally retarded children. The department attends to the dental health care needs of these Special Children. In addition to that, the department is conducting regular school health camps to promote awareness about preventive procedures as well believe in prevention more than treatment.
One more concept we recently embraced is pre-natal counseling wherein which the objective is to counsel the pregnant mother on the importance of food nutrition and the future dental health of the child.
Post Graduate Programme (Residency)
The goal of the Pediatric Dentistry residency program is to provide advanced education in Pediatric Dentistry to highly qualified graduate dentists who are interested in a career of specialized practice, teaching and research. The program requires a minimum of three academic years for completion. A high level of advanced clinical skills and completion of a curriculum broadly representative of basic and applied science is required. Original research and a dissertation in any of the related fields are required and topics may be undertaken on problems relevant to Pediatric Dentistry. The Principles of Scientific research design and evolution are emphasized.
Advanced Faculties and Procedures available
The department is having advanced facilities to treat each and every dental need of the child. The department is equipped with special Pediatric dental chairs and gadgets to treat children, some of the facilities include. • Pediatric Endodontics: The Department caters to the endodontics need of all children by using advanced facilities like the rotary instruments, Apex locators, Digital Radiography & Thermoplastised gutta-percha • Pediatric Orthodontics: The staff are specially trained in preventive & interceptive orthodontics procedures by using removable, fixed & myofunctional appliances in children. • Sports Dentistry: The department is having the facility to fabricate mouth guards for children & adolescents to prevent sports trauma. • Conscious Sedation : This equipment helps in managing the fearful child by using N2O-O2 sedation • General Anesthesia: Department has fully equipped operation theatre to treat uncooperative & mentally retarded patient.
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