Ludhiana, January 12
A leading dentist from Ludhiana, specialising in cosmetic and implant dentistry, Dr Vivek Saggar has been conferred the distinguished fellowship of the International Congress of Oral Implantologists (ICOI) at the 3rd International Conference of Indian Academy of Osteointegration held in Mumbai last week.

Dr Carl E. Misch, considered to be a ‘father of implant surgery’, had come to India to confer the fellowship upon 12 eminent dentists from across the country, Dr Saggar being the only one from North India. Dr Misch is an Associate Professor at the University of Michigan besides being Adjunct Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering, Associate Professor Louisiana State University, Adjunct Professor, Loma Linda University, Associate Clinical Professor, University of Pittsburgh and School of Dental Medicine.

The ICOI is the world’s largest dental implant society, which was founded in 1972 as a professional, non-profit organisation. It has over 20,000 members spread across 72 countries. The ICOI fellowship is conferred after stringent selection procedures, based on recommendations of a jury comprising eminent oral implantologists.

Dr Saggar is among the first few dentists of the region who started implants around six years ago. His centre in Ludhiana is the first dental centre of North India to be accredited as an ISO 9001:2000 centre.

According to Dr Saggar, implants are the most modern method of replacing teeth. They not only restore self-confidence, but also restore the quality of life. According to a US study, only 5 per cent of the dentists worldwide formally trained for implants.

The study says it would take another 50 years for about 30 per cent of the dentists worldwide to be using this method of tooth replacement routinely, he added.

“As we know, implants are the most modern method of replacing missing teeth. They are basically substitutes for the natural tooth roots. They have a good success rate, and can sometimes mean the difference between a patient having teeth, or going without anything.”

“They are especially good for people who cannot wear a full denture because those gag, or because of severe bone resorption. They can be used to replace individual missing teeth, and in situations in which a standard bridge would not work, such as replacing back teeth where no posterior abutment is available for a retainer,” he said.

Dr Saggar said worldwide implants were becoming the natural choice for tooth replacement and there was an urgent need to train more dentists in this area.

Ludhiana, January 12
“Lohri celebrations for a male child is the reflection of discrimination against the female child, which is the major obstacle for awareness campaign against the social evil of female foeticide.”

These remarks were made by Dr Rajinder Kaur, Civil Surgeon, while speaking in a meeting of the district executive of the Punjab Civil Medical Services (PCMS) Association. Dr Hardeep Singh, state president of the association, was in the chair.

The Civil Surgeon further said that in keeping with the determination of the government to curb female foeticide with a firm hand, the drive against medical professionals indulging in fetal sex-determination and foeticide would be intensified along with improvement in health care delivery to all sections of society. She sought the cooperation of the association by way of maintaining discipline and improving the work culture to achieve the assigned goals of the Health Department.

Giving details of the deliberations, Dr Balwinder Kumar, general secretary of the association, said the meeting was of the view that Lohri celebrations on the birth of a male child reflected the general bias of society in favour of the male child while discriminating against the female offspring. It was further resolved to encourage the celebration of Lohri and other festivals on the birth of a female child as well, so as to check the discrimination.

Members of the association strongly supported the proposed intensification of the drive against pre-natal diagnostic technique (PNDT) and foeticide in a bid to bring the defaulting medical professionals to book. They also vowed to work for improvement in health delivery services to all sections of society.

Responding to the demand of the PCMSA, the Civil Surgeon promised to ensure the availability of medicines at all peripheral health institutions, with a transparent purchase policy. The frequently used medicines for common diseases would be put on the priority list during purchases. Similarly, the non-required bulk material lying in the peripheral stores, purchased previously, would be inspected and suitable steps taken for its disposal.

Dr Rajinder Kaur said that she intended to maintain punctuality and discipline and take stern action against absenteeism. In response to the appeal by the Civil Surgeon, Dr Hardeep Singh asked all PCMS doctors to contribute generously for tsunami victims and also come forward to enlist themselves to accompany the voluntary medical relief teams to be sent to the affected areas.

Ludhiana, January 12
The three-day annual athletics meet of Upadhya Shri Phool Chander Jain Public School, Chandigarh Road, Jamalpur, here today. In the u-19 years category, Yogita Kapali, a student of Class XII and Sandeep a student of XI, were adjudged the best athletes among girls and boys sections, respectively, while in the u-16 section, the honours were bagged by Shweta (VIII) and Jashanpreet (IX). Urvashi and Amandeep Singh, students of class VII, were named the best athletes among girls and boys in u-14 category. Aryabhatt House clinched the overall trophy.

Mr Sohan Lal Lotey, District Sports Officer, Ludhiana, presided over the concluding function and gave away prizes to the position holders. Ms Yachna Chawla, Principal of the school, welcomed the chief guest and members of the management committee. Mr Basant Singh, president, Urban Estate Association, Mr Mohinder Paul Jain, Mr Sham Lal and Mr S.K. Jain, members of the committee were also present on the occasion. Mr Vishwajeet Shukla, Manager, Indusind Bank, also addressed the students and urged them to take part in sports for the overall development.