Conducting Dental Checkups for “Santri” Students, FKG and RGSM Unpad Collaborate with Unilever Indonesia

Jatinangor, March 22, 2024 — To commemorate World Oral Health Day (WOHD) on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, the Faculty of Dentistry or FKG “Fakultas Kedokteran Gigi”, Rumah Sakit Gigi dan Mulut Universitas Padjadjaran, and Unilever Indonesia worked together to conduct free dental checkups for fifty santri (Islamic boarding school students) from Rumah Tahfiz Qur’an Anak Bandung in the ballroom of Masjid Agung Trans Studio Bandung. In this activity, FKG Unpad involved 18 residents, 20 medical fellowship students, and 15 lecturers as supervisors from all departments for dental checkups and providing education for the santri.

This collaborative activity in commemoration of WOHD is a yearly routine. Other than dental checkups, this event also provided education and a Talk Show for attendants about maintaining dental and oral health. The Talk Show had drg. Usman Sumantri, M.Sc. (as chair of PB PDGI), Dr. drg. Julita Hendrartini, M.Kes,AAK.(as chair of ARSGMPI), Prof. Suryono, drg.,SH.,MM.,Ph.D. (as Chair of ADOKGI), Ustaz Dr. Zulkarnain Muhammad Ali, SE., MSi., Ph.D, and Citra Kirana as a celebrity.

The chair of the event, Dr. Indra Mustika Setia Pribadi, drg.,Sp.Perio.,Subsp.MP(K)., says that this year, this event is held coincidentally with the month of Ramadan, where usually every year, this event is held full day. Indra also says that the event had a Talk Show with Ustaz who spoke about the fatwa on dental care during Ramadan fasting. To ensure that patients are not hesitant in their dental care during fasting, the fatwa of MUI (Majelis Ulama Indonesia) is explained in detail. Other than that, education about dental and oral maintenance as well as the use of flouride application was also delivered. In relation to this, Indra adds that education about fluoride application was given to the santri companions so they could use it while they were not fasting.

The aim of this activity is to encourage children to consult with dentists routinely and to keep up good habits of maintaining their mouths and teeth for life. Besides that, education on dental health will be increased in traditional and boarding schools to support Indonesia’s Ministry of Health’s health transformation in their preventive promotive pillar.

“With the santri getting used to facing their dentists, we hope that in the future, they are no longer afraid of going to the dentist. The same goes for the adults. By being provided education, they will have an understanding that going to dentists is not only for tooth extraction or filling but also for fluoride application on children so they become more immune from cavities. This will make their teeth healthier in the long run and less prone to cavities,” says Indra.

In this campaign, FKG Unpad, RGSM Unpad, and Unilever Indonesia worked together to increase the quality of dental and oral education of the community as part of the manifestation of the Tridhama of higher education, that is community service for society.

“We can inform that maintaining dental hygiene has to start from a young age to avoid more severe cases, not when we are already adults,” Indra says.

This collaborative activity was fully supported by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences and other faculties at Universitas Padjadjaran.

Writer: Yohanes William Ivakdalam
Translator: Jauza Maryam Mumtazah