For the third consecutive year, students from the Amrita School of Dentistry won the overall championship in stage events at the inter-state dental students’ fest organized by the Kerala Dental Association.

 “We are extremely proud of our students,” noted their Principal Dr. Unni. “10 dental colleges participated from all parts of Kerala. The fact that our students were placed as the overall winners is yet another testimony to the excellent education they receive — both for life as well as living — at Amrita.”

Chancellor Amma often speaks of the two types of education. “When we study in college, striving to become a doctor, a lawyer, or an engineer, this is education for a living,” she says. “On the other hand, education for life requires understanding the essential principles of spirituality. We all know that the real goal of education is not to create people who can understand only the language of machines. The main purpose of education should be to impart a culture of the heart; a culture based on spiritual values.”
 

This year a big group from Amrita participated. Nearly 70 students took part in various competitions such as debate, essay writing (Malayalam and English), pencil drawing, clay modeling, painting, music (solo and group songs, both Eastern and Western), group dance, mime and skit. In most of these events, Amrita students won several of the top prizes.
 

“Our Annual Arts Festivals provide a platform for students to showcase and hone their talents,” continued Dr. Unni. “They receive much guidance and encouragement from Swami Poornamritananda Puri, in-charge of the Kochi ashram.”
 

Amrita students won the first prize in table clinic. Table clinics are tabletop demonstrations, either displays, posters, or presentations that elaborate on concepts that dentists may use to improve their clinical dentistry. The winning Amrita entry depicted the various stages of periodontal disease. Poor brushing and flossing habits lead to gingivitis (build-up of plaque), wherein gums may be swollen and become red and may bleed upon brushing. Left untreated, this earlier stage may lead to a more advanced stage of periodontitis, wherein the tissue that holds the teeth in place becomes totally infected. Another Amrita display depicted the fabrication of an ear prosthesis in silicone.
 

“This was my second opportunity to attend such a fest after joining this college,” shared Sreeram studying in first-year BDS, one of the student coordinators, who participated in the mime event. “It was a great experience and I look forward to participating in many more such events in the future too.” Added Devika Krishnan of second-year BDS, “We have a lot of support from our college and our faculty to participate in such events. At the program too, there was good support from the crowd.” “This was an opportunity to not only showcase our talents and but also learn from our mistakes,” chipped in Revathy Jaisingh of third-year BDS.
 

In addition to the students winning the top honors, Amrita faculty was also felicitated at the fest. Dr Simy of the Dept of Community Dentistry, had received the first prize in All Kerala Dental Association (IDA) essay competition organized earlier and was given the trophy at the fest. The essay competition was open to women dentists; the topic was — Tobacco related Oral Lesions. Dr. Simy’s essay discussed the common tobacco related oral lesions like stains due to tobacco use as well as life threatening conditions such as oral cancer. The essay will be published in a forthcoming issue of the Kerala Dental Journal. We congratulate the winning Amrita team!