INTRODUCTION

Public health dentistry is an exceptional discipline of dental sciences which emphasizes on the prevention of oral diseases, promotion and maintenance of oral health and provision of treatment for oral diseases at community level to ensure adequate standard of living. Prevention is the foundation of dental public health with importance on primary prevention. The department of Public Health Dentistry of Rural Dental College, PIMS, Loni-BK, has been committed to promoting quality dental care in teaching the art of prevention. The department is actively involved in providing awareness, education and comprehensive treatment and counselling regarding oral health care to the vulnerable and inaccessible sections of the society specially to special care groups like school children and differently abled individuals. We also have a well-equipped, Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) specially designed to target secluded areas. Provision has been made for referral of the patients requiring advanced care to the institution at subsidized rates. Besides regular lectures, practical and clinical teaching sessions, the department also exposes students to different kinds of learning environment making it more interesting and challenging to the students by giving them various assignments of library dissertation, survey and research projects, live models. The department also has an oral health education museum with numerous health education materials, models, posters and exhibits contributed by the undergraduate students as their project works live models. The department also has an oral health education museum with numerous health education materials, models, posters and exhibits contributed by the undergraduate students as their project works.