Community Services

The Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine recently organized a Heatwave Relief Camp to address the pressing needs of the community during an intense heatwave. This initiative aimed to provide immediate relief and support to those most affected by the soaring temperatures. The camp was equipped with essential amenities such as cool drinking water, juice boxes, and shaded rest areas for heat-related ailments. The Institute’s dedicated team, which was led by Prof. Dr. Hasnain Sakrani and Prof. Dr. Naseer Ahmed, consisted of faculty members including Dr. Resham Nadeem, Dr. Ayesha Anis, House officers; Yasharah Khalid, Zaid Ali, Nayl Zara, Abdullah Baloch, Yousuf Janjua, Maira Khan, Yusrah Rizwan, Alina Zehra, Laiba Hayat, and the Volunteers; Asadullah Naseem, Faizan Maroof, Shahbazi Khan, Muhammad Adil, Muhammad Hussain, Talal Rasheed, Abdul Samad, Muhammad Raahim, Waleed Ahmed, Saroop Raja, Waleedullah, Umer sabir, Bilal Khalid, Hammad and Jaint Kumar, who worked tirelessly to ensure the well-being of all attendees. The entire project reflected a commitment to community health and welfare. The Heat Relief Camp by Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine exemplifies proactive community engagement and the vital role of healthcare institutions in public health crises.

Recently department of Special Needs is established at AIDM. In Nov 2017 an MOU is signed between Altamash Institute and Special Olympics. Professor Dr Hasnain Sakrani was officialy trained in 2012 in Mumbai to become the first local Clinical Director of Special Smiles, Special Olympics Pakistan. Several screening program have been done and many volunteers have been trained. There was a two days conference in Nov 2017 in which screening and training of Clinical Directors and volunteers was done at AIDM.

All students are strongly encouraged to play an active and responsible role in their local community. AIDM offers a variety of opportunities for its students to get involved and promotes oral health awareness in and around Karachi.

While first and second year dental students cannot conduct any “hands-on” patient care, these students often choose to perform outreach in other ways, such as through oral health presentations to local community organizations and schools or distributing supplies and educational materials to increase oral health awareness. When students begin performing clinical patient care at AIDM, they may provide additional outreach services, such as oral cancer screenings, under approved faculty supervision. To ensure that potential patients receive the best possible care and consideration, AIDM has a process by which students and faculty must obtain approval for such events.

Community outreach has been a cornerstone of the Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine since its inception. Improving the overall health of the global population remains a key component of our institute’s mission. At the same time, community service programs provide indispensable learning opportunities for our students. Opening the eyes of these future health care professionals to health disparities in our nation and around the world is, we believe, a vital part of a complete education in dental medicine.

AIDM has provided extensive oral health outreach programs for school children, the elderly people with disabilities, the homeless, and other under privileged populations. With an emphasis on local community involvement as well as a strong commitment to global oral health care, AIDM’s outreach activities provide participants with a unique service-learning experience and an increased awareness of access-to-care issues, while fostering a passion for volunteerism and social responsibility.

During a clinical outreach program, students receive hands-on clinical instruction and are exposed to public health issues in dentistry. Participants are challenged to think outside the operatory and ask what they can do to reduce the barriers surrounding access to care for underserved populations. Post-outreach evaluations have consistently shown a transformational effect on participants and past participants have noted these experiences as a highlight in their dental school exxperience. Clinical outreach programs are only open to third- and fourth-year dental students and, in certain locations, dental hygiene students.

AIDM’s public health outreach programs focus on oral health education and do not include a clinical component; instead, providers seek to prevent oral disease and tooth decay by implementing widespread preventive measures for children. Paramount to the success of the public health efforts, is an educational component to increase the overall “dental IQ” of people served, while influencing the behaviors and attitudes surrounding personal responsibility for and understanding of oral and systemic health.

AIDM’s comprehensive global outreach programs offer participants a unique, service-learning experience. These interdisciplinary programs provide faculty, residents, and students of dentistry, hygiene, nursing, and public health, with a well-rounded perspective on access-to-care issues and challenge them to re-think their roles as health care providers. Clinical outreach programs provide free dental services to populations facing barriers to oral health care including a dearth of dental providers and economic hardships.

Partnerships with local organizations and health care providers are cultivated to ensure the continuation of preventive services in AIDM’s absence. The communities served by the programs are empowered by AIDM’s outreach model, as sustainable oral health services become a reality.