The 7th of October 2023, dawned with new hope for us at the Paedodontic clinic of the Faculty of Dental Sciences in the University of Peradeniya. The inhalation sedation unit was ceremoniously opened and handed over to the faculty on this day.
Hence a long awaited dream of the Head of the Division of Paedodontics, Prof Chandra Herath and a group of enthusiastic clinicians, was actualized into a facility that would enable more comfortable treatment for anxious patients. This day marked a milestone for paediatric dental care in Sri Lanka owing to the fact that here onwards the faculty holds a Unit for Inhalation Sedation at the Dental Hospital ( Teaching) Peradeniya. This was funded by the generous sponsorship from the Rotary Club of Kandy jointly with Rotary Club of Pudukottai. They were further supported by the Rotary Foundation in the USA. The equipment and the infrastructure were valued to be of 8.0 million Sri Lankan Rupees.
The project chairperson was none other than the former Senior lecturer of the faculty , Dr V Vijaykumaran. His endeavors were praised and applauded by both the academic and his fellow rotarians. Many officials from the Rotary club attended this occasion among which were the Chief guest of the ceremony,the District Governor( RI 3220 ) Rtn Jerome Rajendram and the District Rotary Foundation chair Past District Governor Ajith Weerasinghe. The Guest of honor Prof MD Lamawansa , the Vice Chancellor of the University of Peradeniya graced the occasion and motivated the academicians to further embark on their dreams. Number of distinguished invitees were present at the ceremony to celebrate this achievement . The Dean of the Faculty of Dental Sciences, Prof AM Attygalla,the President of the Association for Specialists in Restorative Dentistry , Dr Nilmini Abeygunawardane were among them.
This joyous occasion was followed with a hands-on workshop for Registrars of Restorative Dentistry, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Anesthesiology. The workshop and lectures were conducted by Paedodontic specialists who were well versed with the practice of inhalation sedation ,specially for children. The resource personnel were Dr Srinivas Namineni, Dr Sunil Mohammed, and Dr Sreekanth Mallineni, from India. The day concluded a success for all the participants and trainees.
Thus there lies hope for the future of dental care for children in our country as the Division of Paedodontics leads the way as the sole provider of comprehensive care for children amidst numerous hardships and challenges,under the guidance of the only Paedodontic specialist of Sri Lanka.
