KATHMANDU, APRIL 24
In celebration of World Oral Health Day, dental students from across Nepal came together for a powerful, month-long national campaign to raise awareness about oral health. Spanning urban centers and rural communities, it combined grassroots outreach, digital engagement, and public events to promote preventive oral care as a key pillar of overall health.
The campaign launched with "Oral Health for All – A Community Outreach Series", offering free oral screenings, education, and preventive care to underserved populations including differently-abled individuals, women, children, the elderly, and low-income families. Over 1,000 people across Kathmandu Valley, Kavre, Chitwan, and Bhairahawa benefited, with fluoride gel applied to more than 150 children in orphanages and shelters.
On March 20, World Oral Health Day was marked with a vibrant public event titled "Run for Oral Health"-a 3 km run from Kathmandu Durbar Square to Naxal Chaur, followed by health talks and a calming meditation session under the theme "Happy Mouth is... a Happy Mind." The event drew 257 participants, including health officials and public figures.
Meanwhile, the "Muskaan – Digital Campaign", led by DSSN, focused on virtual workshops for parents of children aged 3–9, reaching around 450 parents. Creative social media challenges like the "Happy Mouth Contest" and "Brush and Boogie Challenge" kept the message lively and engaging online.
The campaign concluded with "Walk the Talk", a leadership dialogue hosted at Boudhanath in collaboration with WHO–Nepal, where student leaders in medicine and dentistry discussed collaborative strategies for advancing oral health nationwide.
Established in 2023, the Dental Students' Society of Nepal (DSSN) is a youth-led, non-profit organization representing the interests and aspirations of dental students and young professionals across Nepal. As the recognized national member of the International Association of Dental Students and the World Dental Federation (FDI), DSSN is positioned at the forefront of global dental advocacy and innovation.
This ambitious, student-driven movement showcased how passion, innovation, and partnerships-like the one with Pepsodent Nepal-can turn oral health into a national public health conversation. It sent a clear message: Healthy smiles are everyone's right-and everyone's responsibility.
