November 22-23, 2020 – Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn went on a royal official trip to Ban Muangpittayakhon School, Muang Sub-district, Ban Muang District, Sakonnakhon to follow-up the Remote-Area Children Development Project. Over 800 people, including officials and the public welcomed HRH. On this occasion, HRH the Princess visited the royal-patronaged mobile dental clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University, that offered dental health care to the people in the area.
On November 22, 2020, Assoc. Prof. Waranuch Pitiphat, D.D.S., Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of Khon Kaen University led a team of 26 dentists and dental personnel to provide dental care service to the school pupils and people there free of charge. Then on November 23, 2020, the team welcomed Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, with Assoc. Prof. Waranuch Pitiphat, D.D.S., making the following report to HRH: “I, Assoc. Prof. Waranuch Pitiphat, D.D.S., Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry of Khon Kaen University, and 26 dentists and dental personnel of the faculty come here today to provide dental health care to the pupils and people in the area. We have inspected 81 patients, 25 receiving oral check-up, 17 having their tooth pulled, and 39 having their teeth coated with fluoride. Recently, due to the situation of Covid-19, the mobile service went out only 5 times, serving 1002 patients. The royal-patronaged mobile dental clinic of the Faculty of Dentistry also acknowledges the people at the service area about dental care.”
Faculty of Dentistry, Khon Kaen University was founded in 1979 to prepare dentists and solve the problem of shortage of dentists in the country. Community service is one of the major objectives of the Faculty. Therefore, the Faculty has always provided service to communities. Then in 1991, the royal-patronaged mobile dental clinic project was established. The project, under the Green Isan Project, was allocated an amount of budget to buy a vehicle for carrying dental equipment and tools and field dental chairs so that service could be provided around the northeastern area, especially the remote area where underprivileged people live. Since 1991, the royal-patronaged mobile dental clinic project has been ongoing regularly and continuously, serving over 3000 cases annually. The work has been cooperated by lecturers and personnel from different departments in the Faculty. The budget has been set aside from the Faculty’s revenue. Up to now, the Faculty has served different places such as the school of the blind, the Northeast Boy Nursery, the Youth Detention Center, secondary schools in Muang District and the people living in different districts of Khon Kaen and the adjacent provinces. Services are being extended to cover a wider area. All of the work is owing to the Royal intention, and thus the service is always free of charge.
