With an aim to aware the dentists of Northeast on cancer, a two-day outreach programme on oral screening was organised in Guwahati on Saturday and Sunday.
Organised jointly by North East Regional Dental Conference and Assam Cancer Care Foundation (ACCF) the two-day programme was attended by a host of dignitaries and dentists from Northeast.
“The idea is to make the dental professionals of the region aware about the work that is being done to make a robust cancer care grid in Assam,” Jogeshwar Burman of Indian Dentist Association (IDA).
“There is a high prevalence of Oral Cancers because of widespread usage of tobacco and the late detection leading to high crude cancer death rates in Assam,” he said.
“To address both the issues, ACCF has initiated community screenings and tobacco control activities. The entire fraternity of dentists is critical towards reaching every adult of Assam and screening them for cancer,” he further said.
“They are the key drivers of the understanding of prevention, early detection and effective referrals for treatment of oral cancers,” he said.
“We hope to channelize all these referrals to the public infrastructure and government health programmes for cancer,” he added.
“It is an opportunity for the doctors to connect with ACCF and their outreach network for screening programmes,” he reiterated.
“We are playing short interactive videos about ACCF and its community outreach programmes. Free IEC materials are available and being distributed to doctors to engage and take home,” said Paul Sebastian of Tata Trusts.
“As an oncologist myself, I understand the importance of the dentist fraternity in realising the dream of a cancer-free Assam,” he said.
“Through this outreach programme, we plan to create awareness among the community about cancer, detecting oral cancers in early stages, and ensure prompt diagnosis and treatment at referral hospitals,” he added.
“Our endeavour is to make every dentist pledge towards working for a cancer-free northeast,” he reiterated.
The programme also marked the golden jubilee year of the Assam Branch of the Indian Dental Association (IDA).