The little ones in Grades 3, 4 and 5 walked into the Primary school hall in a very disciplined way. It was so nice to see them come and take their seats with the Grade 3 children right in front and the Grade 5’s right at the back. Close to 600 kiddies were eagerly waiting to hear about their teeth and how best they could keep their teeth clean and nice. ‘Your teeth are like Stars’ was what they were about to hear.

This was the 4th in our series of programs for the school and the 1st for the Primary school. Rev. Sr. Alexandra Mendis the Principal of the Primary school had made all the necessary arrangements for us to take over. It was Monday the 24th of November September and it was Dr. Gayathri Iraivan’s day ably assisted by her sister Ms. Upekha Wickremaratne, both distinguished Bridgetines who have represented the school at swimming.

After the Welcome address by Rev. Sr. Alexandra Mendis, a short introduction of what the PPA was all about was given by Dr. Nirmala M. Pieris, President, PPA. Ms. Dilani Yatawaka then took over and introduced the Resource person Dr. Iraivan.

Gayathri’s presentation comprised of a very interactive talk of about 30 minutes duration covering aspects of Your teeth, Visiting the dentist, Why healthy teeth are important, What causes tooth decay, How does fluoride work, Adopting healthy oral hygiene habits / Preventing tooth decay, How to take necessary steps in case of an emergency tooth fracture and Habit breakers – to stop malformation of teeth. This was followed by a video clip on “Kids Just Love to Brush” and an extremely noisy session where the children were asked questions with the correct answers being rewarded with little gifts. The questions drew a huge response with so many hands going up to get an opportunity to provide the answer.

The program ended with each of the little ones receiving a toothbrush, toothpaste and a very useful poster by courtesy of Unilever Sri Lanka Limited. We thank Upekha for making all the necessary arrangements for this sponsorship and Ms. N Jayatilake, Category Head -Oral Care for the necessary approvals for the sponsorship.  

The very rewarding morning ended with a Vote of Thanks to the Resource person and the PPA from one of the Teachers. 

Resource Persons Profile
Dr. Gayathri Iraivan
BDS India and Dip in Laser Dentistry, Germany
General and Laser Dental Surgeon
Department of Dental Surgery,
The Lanka Hospitals Corporation PLC

NMP
05102012