Hosted the first-ever Oral Biology Presentation Competition

The Department of Oral Biology, Ziauddin College of Dentistry, hosted the first-ever Oral Biology Presentation Competition on November 29, 2023, at Ziauddin University. The event was a huge success, showcasing the exceptional talent and dedication of BDS First Year Students. The event featured a variety of informative presentations that focused on the basic morphological and identifying features found in various types of primary and permanent teeth. The event provided a conducive environment for learning and collaboration, emphasising Ziauddin College of Dentistry’s commitment to academic excellence. It also gave participants the opportunity to refine their research, presentation, and critical thinking skills, which are essential for their academic and professional journeys.

Colgate Oral Health Week 2023 at Ziauddin College of Dentistry, Ziauddin University

Colgate Oral Health Week was celebrated by Ziauddin College of Dentistry from 18-22 September 2023.

During the week, free dental screenings were performed at three sites: Ziauddin Dental OPD, a Preventive dental clinic at the Primary health care center Gulshan-e-Sikandarabad, and a School outreach program which was conducted by the Department of Community & Preventive Dentistry along with second-year BDS Batch 13 students, house officers, and faculty.

During the week almost 400 patients were screened at the Dental OPD, 800 at Preventive clinic PHC, and 7000 school children were screened.

Colgate distributed monetary remuneration, certificates, and gift hampers among the volunteers who participated in Colgate Oral Health Week as well as shields to the Principal Ziauddin College of Dentistry Prof Dr. Wahab Kadri, and Head of Community Dentistry, Dr. Sidra Mohiuddin.

According to Dr. Sidra Mohiuddin, HOD Community & Preventive Dentistry, such initiatives are essential for raising oral health awareness among the masses and it is beneficial for young doctors and doctors to be in terms of improving their skills such as communication and patient management at a community level.

School-Based Oral Health Promotion By the Community Dentistry Department

The Department of Community & Preventive Dentistry at Ziauddin College of Dentistry organized a School Health Promotion Program at The Educators School at Clifton Block 2 on 8th November 2023. The program was led by Dr. Sidra Mohiuddin, Associate Professor and Head of the Department along with Dr.Yousra Altaf, Dr. Ramsha Zarar, Lecturers, and Second year BDS Batch 13 students.

The primary goal of this community-oriented program was to create awareness among school children and staff regarding effective oral hygiene practices, recognizing the substantial time children spend in school. The school administration expressed satisfaction with the thorough dental check-ups and services provided by the team.

The activities included free dental checkups of school children, oral health education via video learning that was provided by Colgate Palmolive, and demonstration of recommended tooth brushing techniques to the school children by the faculty members.

In the end, a question and answer session was conducted with school children to assess their learning from the school-based oral health education activities as well as distribution of oral hygiene aids kits to school children and to the staff. The activity was organized in collaboration with Colgate Palmolive.Top of Form

Colgate Award Ceremony on 18 May 2022

Department of Community Dentistry, Ziauddin College of Dentistry, Ziauddin University has organized Colgate Award Ceremony on 18 May 2022. The chief guest of the ceremony was Prof Dr.Abbas Zafar, Dean Faculty of Health Sciences, Ziauddin University.
In the ceremony, along with our chief guest and Principal Prof Dr.Mervyn Hosein, Mr. Shariq Siddique Regional Head of  Colgate-Palmolive, distributed a shield, gold medal, and price of 10,000 Pak Rupee to two BDS graduated Batch 9 former students on securing highest marks in  Community Dentistry and Periodontology.
Dr.Javeria Memon in Community Dentistry
Dr.Mahlaqa Maroof in Periodontolog

Merit List for Admission 2016-2017 (BS ASLT Batch-X)

Published URL : National Courier

Published Date: 30th Sep 2016

By: Dr. Anila Kazmi

We often come across a word quite loud in our day to day working “Recognition”, or it is depicting the same word, which could be in a different way or form, perhaps credit or appreciation; well is sounds so familiar. But when we approach to the act of performance, recognition at times is bowled out or I must say it is overlooked to the some extent.

The word Recognition itself holds a very certain and important aspect in our life. For instance when we look around it is nearly almost everywhere and there. It is the value of identification, acknowledgement, and existence, so leading to an utterly true concept, especially when it comes to behavioral consequences.
The word Recognition is a huge and broad one, and if we look into the same, the burden itself will require buying more time in order to debate upon the various influencing characteristics it holds.
The interest being highlighted in the momentum and according to a matter of interest, is asking our self that is recognition really a great motivator? When we talk about an employee or staff working in an organization; well in my view the answer is surely a Yes!

Employee or Staff recognition is an acknowledgement of a person’s or team’s actions, conduct, effort or any dealing that ropes the organization’s goals and values, and which has visibly been outside normal expectations.

To be effective at work, the Management of an organization needs to understand the psychology of graciously approving others for their good work, finding positive ways and methods to apply the principles of employee recognition and to encourage others to initiate it in their working relationships.
Appreciation is an essential human requirement. Employees react confidently, when expressions of gratitude are made through recognition of their good work because it confirms their work is valued. Correctly measured and a well-respected employee’s job performance will definitely reflect on job satisfaction, following a rise in productivity, thus motivation is hooked in, having a marked impact on further improvement of performance.

When we talk about the cost for having recognition system in an organization, it is quite petite while on the other hand, the benefits are no doubt hefty, but yes when implemented successfully in accordance to the effectiveness.

Here, the main concern or rather should say a matter to ponder, is that at times the management just pass-by the word recognition, and even if it is being tapped, the response is not that kind of amazingly charming. And eventually the turn out of performance slowly moves to the other side, as the employee loses motivation and even morale elements for enhancements.

Surveys and researches have proven that staff recognition brings the benefit of instant and influential reinforcement of preferred behavior leading to sets an example to other employees.
A simple and honest gesture like thank you to an employee’s true contribution can become responsible for a morale boosting drive. This is how we make important possessions of recognition blend into having a perfect function system. The list of benefits of having such a system can go a way long, but highlighting few significant ones are; increased individual efficiency, thus pointing to the act of recognizing desired behavior which increases the repetition of the desired behavior, and therefore productivity. This is classic behavioral psychology. The armored deeds and behaviour pattern of a well recognized employee will support the organization’s mission and key performance display, few being:

* Having more employee satisfaction and fulfillment of work – leading to more time spent focusing on the job and less time of complaining or being unreasonable.
* Higher loyalty and satisfaction scores from customers, either internal or external.
* Enhanced team working spirit.
* Retention of quality employees increases – lower employee turnover.
* Better safety records and fewer on the job mishaps.
* Lower unenthusiastic or negative effects such as absenteeism and stress, boredom etc.

So, if the word Recognition itself is given its due esteem and the its value is measured the way it should actually be and understood, then we can hopefully see better outcomes in the working scenarios and excellence in changing not only the work environment but having properly matched behavioral attributes, better mutual understandings, lesser conflicts and above all adding a brighter appeal in order to have a peaceful ambiance at work.

( The writer is Group Head, Department of Quality Assurance Dr. Ziauddin Hospitals).

Independence Day Celebrations

In the face of advances in cancer treatment and decreases in mortality rates, cancer is still seen by individuals, first and foremost, as a death sentence. For many who are diagnosed with the disease, their initial thoughts are about death and dying (Loney, 1998)

Cancer patients deal with the different side effects and life changes during cancer treatment, it affects not only physical health, but it does bring wide range of feelings. Their emotions change daily, hourly, or even minute to minute. This is true whether you’re currently in treatment, done with treatment, or any of your friend or family members is affected. Diagnosis of cancer is a very stressful event for the patients and their families. In spite of all these mood swings patients at Dr Ziauddin Cancer Hospital were fully boosted with energy to celebrate Independence Day celebrations.

Looking at the JOSH & JAZBA of patients despite of full occupancy of the hospital Dr Ziauddin Cancer hospital organized an Independence Day for cancer patients in the hospital premises in which patients shared their feelings about the day, sung mili naghme while being on bed as they could not come to the arena. Few of the patients came from home to participate in the event and shared their feeling and experiences while their stay during treatment.

We all witnessed the smiley faces, happiness and sparkling eyes of our patients who were seeing death and were feeling pain and anxiety two days ago. No expensive medicines can replaced liveliness of their faces which we have seen by celebrating this small event for them.

This colorful event was witnessed and well appreciated by all patients, family members as well as hospital staff and management.

Article on “The role of red meat in liver disease”

Published URL : National Courier

Published Date: 11th Aug 2016

By: Itrat Siddiqui

Your liver is the processing plant of your body. Its job is to designate nutrients like proteins and Fats for use and to send the toxins that result from protein breakdown to your Kidneys. How red meat can affect your liver. Because your liver is responsible for breaking down and packaging protein. If you are a healthy individual your liver should be able to breakdown these foods with little difficulty. It is possible that long term excess consumption of red meat could worsen liver problems . If your body cannot breakdown red meat properly the waste product can build up. These toxins can affect your brain functioning known as Hepatic encephalopathy. Each person may react differently to red meat intake .When you have liver disease certain protein may be better tolerated than others, according to the Hepatitis Foundation International. If your liver disease is advanced red meat may not be tolerated as effectively as vegetable and dairy proteins. Few studies have examined whether meat and fat intake are associated with chronic liver disease. Meat processing and its heme iron, Nitrate, and Nitrite content were associated with CLD. Patients can eat as much vegetable protein (dried beans and peas, soya products, peanut butter and others) as they like. In patients with chronic liver disease, anemia may be exacerbated by deficiency of folic acid and/or vitamin B12 that can occur secondary to inadequate dietary intake or malabsorption. A major cause of anemia associated with chronic liver disease is hemorrhage, especially into the gastrointestinal tract. For people who have liver disease, eating a healthy diet makes it easier for the liver to do its jobs and can help repair some liver damage. An unhealthy diet can make the liver work very hard and can cause more damage to it. Dietary changes for liver disease may involve: * Cutting down the amount of protein you eat .This will help the buildup of toxic waste products. * Increasing your intake of carbohydrates to be in proportion with the amount of protein you eat. * Limit your salt intake .Salt in the diet may worsen fluid build up and swelling in the liver. * Try to eat small frequent meals. * Turn 3 large meals into 5 or 6 small meals to get enough calories and protein for muscles and organs. * Choose nutrient rich foods, such as whole milk, instead of skim and dried fruit, instead of fruit juices. * Always have a bedtime snack. Try crackers or bread with unsalted peanut butter to make a sandwich with a glass of whole milk. * Talk to your doctor or dietitian about a nutritional supplement if you cannot eat enough to maintain your muscles.

Article on “Use of ‘Port-a-Cath’ in cancer patients”

Published URL : National Courier

Published Date: 19th July 2016

By: Fauzia Pesnani

Cancer patients during their treatment get chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, and intravenous (IV) fluids as well as to draw blood for tests. Some patients have difficult veins in their arms. Veins can be small, damaged by prior therapies or phlebotomies, or have a tendency to ‘roll’ away from needle. Therefore, sometimes the nurses may have to make three or four attempts each time in a different place in hands or arms to get the right kind of vein to give chemotherapy medicines. In our current scenario Port-a-Cath is not used commonly and most chemotherapy treatments are been given through an IV catheter. But this might not be the best option. Why is a chemotherapy port necessary? * Patient might need an IV every week or for several days in a row. It can be uncomfortable to be stuck with a needle so often. * Staff nurse might have difficulty putting a needle in a vein so often. * Some chemotherapy damages tissue if not injected directly into the vein. If the veins in patient’s hands and forearms are small or difficult to put a needle into, the risk is higher that chemotherapy will be injected into tissue around the vein. * If a cannula dislodges and is no longer positioned in the vein correctly then drug leaks into the area around the vein while being given, this is called extravasation. * Delivering chemotherapy to large veins is much preferred to the small veins in the arm. When chemotherapy runs into a small vein, it can damage the veins, causing scarring especially with repeated infusions. However, when infused into a large vein, the drug is immediately diluted by the bloodstream and delivered more efficiently to the entire body. * The hand veins are very fragile and can get easily destroyed by the medicines used in chemotherapy. To make these treatments easier, patient might get a medical device called a catheter or port. WHAT IS A PORT-A-CATH? A port-a-cath is an IV (intravenous) catheter that is placed under the skin in a patient who requires frequent administration of chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, intravenous feeding, or blood draws. It is a central IV line, meaning that the catheter is threaded into one of the large central veins in the chest, which empties into the heart. The vein which is used most often is the right internal jugular vein. This vein is preferred because it is very close to the skin and easy to find with ultrasound. It runs straight down to the heart and has the lowest risk for problems during placement of the catheter, and subsequent use by oncology nurses. Patient just sees and feels a small lump, like a bottle cap under the skin. Commonly called a port, the term porta-cath is a combination of the words ‘portal’ and ‘catheter’. The ‘port’, or portal, is a small reservoir, about as big as a thimble, with a silicone septum that can be pierced with a needle. The silicone is self-sealing and can be punctured hundreds of times before the port must be replaced so it can remain in place for many years. The ‘cath’ or catheter portion is the plastic IV tubing which attaches to the port. The catheters are placed by an interventional radiologist or surgeon, under local anesthetic, using ultrasound to guide the catheter into the vein. The entire port-a-cath is inside the body, so that bathing and swimming are not affected. The catheters are placed by an interventional radiologist or surgeon, under local anesthetic, using ultrasound to guide the catheter into the vein. The entire port-a-cath is inside the body, so that bathing and swimming are not affected. Advantages of Port-a-Cath: * Ports make the administration of chemotherapy much safer. * Ports can remain in place for weeks, months, or years. * It reduces the need to insert needles into your arm veins making treatments more comfortable for you * It reduces the number of needle sticks. * It allows to give all IV medications and to take blood samples * Give treatments that last longer than 1 day. The needle can stay in the port for several days. * Do blood tests and chemotherapy the same day with 1 needle stick. * It gives more freedom to use arms normally in all daily activities. * When it is not in use, there is no special care of the port needed. * Blood transfusions or parenteral nutrition can also be administered through a port. How it is used: To use the port, the chemotherapy nurse feels the port between her/his fingers, disinfects the skin and inserts a special needle, called a Huber, through the skin and the silicone septum into the reservoir. The Huber needle is specially designed not to damage the silicone septum. Additionally, these needles are associated with a very low rate of infection. The port-a-cath can be used the same day it is put in. Caring for Port-a-Cath: Since Port-a-Cath is under the skin, there is very little need to do to take care of it. Once a patient has finished chemotherapy, the port is usually left in for a period of time, usually one year, in case further therapy or IV access is needed. It only needs to be ‘flushed” to keep it working every four weeks if it is not in use. If the port is no longer needed, it is removed by the surgeon or interventional radiologist, under local anesthesia. – – (The writer is head of Cancer Hospital (Nursing Services), Dr. Ziauddin Group of Hospitals).

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