In Malaysia, awareness among members of the community on the importance of oral health care is relatively low.

Based on the data from Malaysian Ministry of Healths Oral Health Division, a total of 2,653 (51.2%) out of 5,177 people involved in the survey said they visit the dentist only when something is wrong with their teeth. This fact comes as no surprise to AIMST Universitys dental students, hence the AIMST Dental Students Association (ADSA) has taken the initiative to organize the first ever Oral Health Awareness Campaign in Sungai Petani. The Oral Health Awareness Campaign 2011s theme was Great Teeth for Great Smiles and was fatefully held on the 18th till the 20th of November in the main concourse area of one of the most popular malls in Sungai Petani, Village Mall. The 300-member strong student body helped made this event possible with months of meticulous planning and inexhaustible guidance and support from dental lecturers. The launching ceremony was held on the first day of the campaign, with Deputy Vice Chancellor of AIMST University, Professor Dr. Sethuraman officiating the event. After welcoming speeches by ADSA President Mr. Kelvin Liaw and Faculty of Dentistrys Acting Dean Professor Dr. Wihaskoro; Prof. Sethuraman officially launched the Inaugural Oral Health Awareness Campaign 2011. Among those present were MDA Northern Zone President Dr. Goon, State Health Director (Oral Health Division) representative Dr. Hajah Riskah, and Director of AIMST Dental Centre Professor Datuk Dr. Rohani Ramli. The main attraction of the 3-day campaign was undoubtedly the free dental screening conducted by AIMST Dental Centres dentists and assisted by dental students. These screenings were opened to public and were held from 12pm 8pm throughout the three days. It attracted more than 400 patients in total, ranging from infants to senior citizens. These patients were then given provisional treatment plans, oral hygiene advices and referral cards to AIMST Dental Centre if they wished for further treatment. Apart from that, more than 50 educational posters were put up in three languages to intrigue and attract the public to be more aware of their oral health. These posters offer a birds eye view on the world of dentistry, with topics ranging from oral cancer, tooth-brushing techniques, effects of smoking and diabetes and more. Reading about oral health wouldnt be motivation enough, so the Oral Health Awareness Campaign provided a plaque disclosure booth for members of the public who were interested in understanding their mouths in greater detail. Apart from that, a dental exhibition booth; displaying a myriad of dental prosthesis like dentures, crowns and orthodontic appliance and also oral hygiene products like different types of toothbrushes, floss and unusual cleaning appliances was also set up for the publics interest. Also, dental student volunteers approached members of the public to teach them the most effective tooth-brushing techniques, and to clarify any of their dental dilemmas. As the Oral Health Campaign coincided with the national school holidays, a couple of interactive game booths were set up to engage children and their families to participate in the campaign. Oral hygiene products like toothpaste and mouthwash were given out in these booths to further encourage the

public to maintain their oral health. The campaign attracted more than 2000 people in three days, thanks to activities like colouring contests for children, poster-drawing contests for adolescence and multiple lucky draw giveaways. This campaign was entirely non-profit and was made possible due to the support of our general sponsors. The main sponsor of the event was AIMST University. And were supported by EDI Dental Supplies Sdn. Bhd., Medi-Life(M) Sdn. Bhd., Malaysian Dental Association, Cavico (M) Sdn. Bhd., Cross Protection (M) Sdn. Bhd., Medigate Sdn. Bhd., Yee Lee Trading Co. Sdn. Bhd., Malaysian Dental Association Northern Zone, AR Dental Supplies Sdn. Bhd., Fulian (M) Sdn. Bhd., GlaxoSmithKline Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Sdn. Bhd., Southern Lion Sdn. Bhd., Legenda Village Mall Sdn. Bhd., Galla Dental Co. Sdn. Bhd., Syncly Trading Sdn. Bhd., Jetaine Co. Sdn. Bhd., Campap Marketing Sdn. Bhd., Syarikat Thong Guan Trading Sdn. Bhd., Teow Thye Guan Trading, Boontech Engineering Sdn. Bhd., Millenium Dental Supplies Sdn. Bhd., Air Putih Resources Sdn. Bhd., Respack Industries Sdn. Bhd., Nibong Tebal Kindergarten, Amedix Sdn. Bhd., JR Medical Solutions Sdn. Bhd., William Dental Suppliers (M) Sdn. Bhd., Indra Sari Trading, BC Impress Enterprise, Pesta Seafood, Lucky Corner, Foto Yes, AIMST University Faculty of Dentistry lecturers, staff and students.

Prepared by, Approved by,

_____________ ______________ Aimee Lee Kit-Ee Kelvin Liaw Sin Hou Secretary President AIMST Dental Students Association