ISF SMILE: Serves 3000 Dental Patients for Free

 Indu Sah Foundation is committed to the underserved community since 2018. ISF has been with the community in every situation from natural disasters to the Covid-19 crisis to providing better Healthcare and Education. In pursuit of better healthcare for the unreached, ISF launched an Oral Healthcare Project called “ISF SMILE” with a purpose to educate and treat 3000 dental patients every year in remote Nepal from the plain to the Himalayas.

ISF Smile is a visionary initiation of the Indu Sah Foundation. Under this project, ISF started a Mobile Dental Clinic, which is the first of its kind in Nepal. The ISF Mobile Dental Clinic (ISFMDC) is committed to providing all kinds of dental treatments available in a well-set dental clinic. The ISFMDC has a vision and commitment to providing the best dental care for free to the community who cannot afford the expensive treatment.

The ISF Smile is conceptualized to educate, make aware, and treat patients with optimal care. The treatments include Tooth brushing training, Oral Prophylaxis, Composite Restoration, Root Canal, and Dental Prosthesis, Fluoride application, GIC Restoration, Tooth extraction, Minor Oral Surgeries, Oral Cancer Screening, and more.

The project began from Loharpatti, Mahottari in July. The ISF Smile was launched at Madhepura on July 20. The Free Dental Treatment and Oral Cancer Screening Camp provided treatment and education to more than 1000 people in the area. The program provided services to the community from July 20 to July 29 with the help of Dental Surgeons and Volunteers. The ISF is now equipped with the most proactive volunteers as everyone is passionate about social service and ISF extends the heartiest gratitude to every volunteer. They are the reason the first event of the ISF Smile was a huge success.

The following services were provided at the ISFMDC first event:

1. Oral Health Screening

As the free oral health service was there for the FIRST time in the region, everyone was very excited to receive the dental treatment. Hundreds of people were present every day to get their oral health checkups and treatment when necessary. The camp was conducted from July 20 to 29, so many people of the located village and the outskirts received checkups and treatment. Eventually, more than a thousand people got educated about the importance of oral health.

2. Oral Cancer Screening

The majority of the people residing in the area consume tobacco and areca products in multiple ways. So, the ISF team having those things in mind also provided Oral cancer screening and awareness to all the tobacco and areca nut consumers. Some of them had started showing symptoms like reduced mouth opening, tissue changes in intraoral regions.

3. Tooth brushing training 

The majority of the beneficiaries were not concerned about their oral health and hygiene because people were still using BAMBOO sticks to clean their teeth, which had caused the deposition of severe plaque and calculus. So, it was important to teach them the importance of toothbrushes and the proper way and frequency of brushing.

4. Tooth extraction 

People were present with multiple signs and symptoms but most of them had Root Stumps and Mobile teeth, which was necessary to be extracted. More than 500 people got their teeth extracted during the service duration. A couple of cases were present with a vertical tooth fracture as they were regular consumers of areca and gutkha. ISF Smile not only provided simple extractions but also difficult extractions. Additionally, around 120 children got their deciduous teeth extracted.

5. GIC Restorations

Kids were not aware of the importance of tooth brushing because their parents were not either. So, during the examinations, many kids had decayed teeth, which needed GIC filling. ISF Smile provided GIC filling more than 150 children.

6. Composite Restoration

Adults showed up with decayed teeth which needed permanent restorations. Many males and females received composite restorations, which was one of the most expensive treatments in ISF Smile service.

7. Fluoride Application

ISF believes that healthy children can build a better country and it starts with the mouth so Fluoride application was a must in the service to prevent the kids from having dental caries. We provided fluoride application to almost 110 children of age 5 to 13 years. Fluoride application was another one of the most expensive treatments. It was eye-opening to the community.

8. Root Canal Treatment

As the camp was for a short period, RCT was not that convenient. However, we provided RCT of anterior teeth to 15 people and did access opening to around 25 patients and referred.

9. Crown and Bridge prosthesis

Many patients were requesting fixed partial dentures but due to time restrictions, we provided the service to limited cases. In the future, we will keep this in mind.

10. Oral Hygiene Kits distribution

We gave away oral hygiene kits to every beneficiary whether they received treatment or just got screened.

11. Mouth Mask Distribution

As Covid-19 is still around us, many people were without masks and asked for masks. So, we gave away around 250 masks to protect the community from the Covid-19 virus.

Due to technical issues, We could not provide Oral Prophylaxis but we will definitely provide the service in the next phase of the program.

Finally, We appreciate NepalMed and Humble Smile Foundation for their support and the ISF Volunteers for their tireless effort to make the program a huge success.